Ezra Cohen-Watnick, the White House staffer who reportedly helped funnel intelligence reports to the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, was at the heart of another, much more behind-the-scenes Trump administration drama, the Guardian reported Thursday.
A retired marine serving as the CIA’s liaison to the White House was summarily dismissed in mid-March, sources told the newspaper, after a clash with Cohen-Watnick, the 30-year-old intelligence director for the National Security Council.
“It was the most disrespectful thing they could have done,” an anonymous White House official aware of the incident told the Guardian, praising the professionalism of the former staffer, who has since returned to the CIA. “He’s a good man. What happened to him was fucked up.”
The liaison’s role involved briefing senior White House officials with top secret security clearances about covert operations, according to the report.
The CIA and White House did not provide the newspaper with comment.
Cohen-Watnick, a protégé of ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn, was reportedly almost fired himself amid an internal struggle for control over national security policy in Trump’s White House. Once Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster replaced Flynn, he allegedly tried to fire the young intelligence official but was overruled after Chief White House Strategist Steve Bannon and senior adviser Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, intervened.
Cohen-Watnick was later reported to be one of the sources who played a role in getting Nunes to the White House to view classified intelligence reports that Nunes claimed show the identities of members of Trump’s campaign staff were inappropriately unmasked. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who later viewed those same intelligence reports say the documents indicate no improper surveillance, and are instead standard intercepts of conversations that involve individuals targeted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Is there any faction this misadministration will not alienate? Less than 100 days, no real accomplishments and now they are pissing off the staffers they need to get things done, as well as further insult the intel community. Gee they are dumb.
First they came for all the competent, intelligent and ethical employees. Next they are coming for…who?
Making enemies in the CIA - what could go wrong with that?
Putin’s investment in Trump is paying off handsomely.
Short-term, Trumpian incompetence is creating chaos in our foreign policy and discord and infighting within our IC apparatus.
Long-term, Trump budget cuts savaging higher education and basic research will enfeeble our ability to stay in the forefront of science and technology.
And as is their wont, the messaging by the Democratic Party leadership about this is virtually nonexistent, and instead Dems are fighting amongst themselves over Ossoff and Bernie.
“What happened to him was fucked up.”
Story of this administration and the voters whose creation this was.
OT but this from Gail Collins’ “Paging the Trump Armada” illustrates in a humorous way just how fucked up it is:
"When it comes to Trump and foreign affairs, the big problem is that you want to be fair, but you don’t want to encourage him. A lot of Americans liked the idea of responding to a chemical attack in Syria by bombing a Syrian air base. But if the president thought it was popular, wouldn’t he get carried away? It’s like praising a 4-year-old for coloring a picture, and the next thing you know he’s got his crayons out, heading for the white sofa.
What we want to do is take the crayons away and murmur: “Good boy. Now why don’t you go off and nominate some ambassadors for a change?”
And go find your boats."