NBC details facts behind Trump's claim he read "body language" of intel officials at the briefing

[bigtree]

Ken Dilanian ?@KenDilanianNBC 9h9 hours ago
What really happened at Donald Trump's intelligence briefing http://nbcnews.to/2cIE3Wl via @nbcnews


The Aug. 17 briefing is attracting fresh scrutiny after Trump said at NBC's Commander-in-Chief Forum that he divined that intelligence officials were "not happy" with President Obama.

"What I did learn," Trump said, "is that our leadership, Barack Obama, did not follow ... what our experts said to do ... And I was very, very surprised.

"I could tell — I'm pretty good with body language — I could tell they were not happy."

However, a U.S. official pointed out that intelligence officers don't give policy advice, so it would be inaccurate to say that Obama failed to follow the advice of the intelligence community. A second U.S. official said analysts are trained not to allow their body language to betray their thinking.

Meanwhile, four people with knowledge of the matter told NBC News that one of the advisers Trump brought to the briefing, retired general Mike Flynn, repeatedly interrupted the briefing with pointed questions.

Two sources said Christie, the New Jersey governor and Trump adviser, verbally restrained Flynn -- one saying Christie told Flynn to shut up, the other reporting he said, "Calm down." Two other sources said Christie touched Flynn's arm in an effort get him to calm down and let the officials continue.


read more: https://t.co/5fk2JVZAqI

[napkinz]

1. Trump’s talking about classified briefing may be most reckless thing he’s done in a while

by James Fallows
September 8, 2106

Last night, at the “Commander-in-Chief” forum, Donald Trump characterized what he had heard from intelligence officials in a classified briefing, and said why he believed the briefers agreed with his political perspective and shared his disdain for the current administration. I am not aware of any previous nominee ever having done anything of this sort.

--snip--

According to a story by NBC, two former heads of the CIA share the view that Trump has crossed yet another line. As Ken Dilanian and Robert Windrem report:

Former CIA and NSA director Mike Hayden, who opposes Trump, told NBC News that in almost four decades in intelligence “I have never seen anything like this before.” (JF note: Hayden, a retired four-star Air Force general, is no one’s idea of a political lefty, and is in the camp of national-security conservatives who oppose Trump.)

“A political candidate has used professional intelligence officers briefing him in a totally non-political setting as props to buttress an argument for his political campaign,” said Hayden. … “The ‘I can read body language’ line was quite remarkable. … I am confident Director Clapper sent senior professionals to this meeting and so I am equally confident that no such body language ever existed. It’s simply not what we do.”

read more: http://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2016/09/trump-time-capsule-98-the-classified-briefing/499190/
https://twitter.com/JamesFallows/status/773956636016803841

[central scrutinizer]

2. Bad enough that Trump was there

But Christie? Was Charley Manson not available?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

17. Surprised me. So you get to

Just pick anyone you want?

[liberal N proud]

3. Imagine this idiot with the nuclear codes!

[MohRokTah]

4. So it would be possible for a President Trump to start a nuclear war over perceived "body language".

[TreasonousBastard]

5. I was in the car listening to someone on NPR talking about this...

and it was astounding just how idiotic this clown is.

And this is before he's in office-- imagine what he'd be like if he won...

[napkinz]

6. K&R

[kimbutgar]

7. Maybe the body language of the intelligence professionals is they were disgusted to

Be briefing an unqualified candidate.

[ProfessorGAC]

19. Ding Ding Ding!

You and me both. That's the same thing that occurred to me. The "body language" may have been about Trump.

[GusBob]

8. Trump is a national secirity risk

[unblock]

9. the only "body language" he read was his own assumption that no one would contradict his lies.

seeing as the intelligence officers took the secrecy concept seriously.

[gratuitous]

10. Gee NBC, doesn't this give you the willies about your former employee?

Think you might want to scrutinize his campaign and his shoot-from-the-hip no-filter running off at the mouth just a little closer and with a slightly more critical eye?

[ecstatic]

11. "I could tell they were not happy."

I think Trump was lying, but let's pretend that he really did get an "unhappy" vibe from the intelligence officers.

Maybe they were pissed that Flynn wouldn't STFU?

Or maybe they weren't happy that they were forced to brief a clown on important national security matters?

[duncang]

16. That is what I was thinking

Dipshit donnie couldn't understand that flynn was acting the fool. It's pretty sad when it sounds like christie was the sane one in the room.

[jtuck004]

12. That body language thing - when he told them he needed a briefing because he was gonna be pres:

He may have misread what they were thinking...

[TomCADem]

13. That is One of The Skills Trump Learned From the KGB - Mind Reading.

[Saviolo]

14. Even the hint of an allegation

that the military might be out-of-step with the President's plan could be disastrous to foreign relations with diplomatically challenging countries, especially countries that the USA may be at war with, or have ongoing sanctions, or have US (or Western nations in general) prisoners.

Despicable comments from Trump.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

15. Trump reads "body language" to deduce women find him sexy too.

[Dorian Gray]

18. I bet

that they weren't happy that they had to sit in the same room as that orange-faced, oompa-loompa haired joke.

[napkinz]

20. kick