“Is this a coordinated conspiracy? The uncomfortable truth was that I didn’t know. Despite everything that had occurred, we still didn’t know what Trump knew, and the answer would likely come only from him or his inner circle. I was skeptical that all the different threads amounted to anything more than bumbling incompetence, a confederacy of dunces who were too dumb to collude as someone joked. In my view, they were most likely a collection of grifters pursuing individual personal interests, their own money, and power-driven agendas.” Abuse Of PowerCollusionPolitical CorruptionGrifters Book:Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump Source: Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump
“I had lived through four revolutions on three continents. Whether in Iran, West Africa, or Haiti, all shared common characteristics, and all taught me lessons about dictators and authoritarians and their hunger to consolidate power and obtain, or at least convey legitimacy. That quest for legitimacy played out in a host of ways. One was the desire to manipulate, control, or discredit media. A relentless distortion of reality numbs a country’s populace to outrage and weakens its ability to discern truth from fiction. Another way dictators sought to secure power and legitimacy was by co-opting the power of the state, its military, law enforcement, and judicial systems, to carry out personal goals and vendettas rather than the nation’s needs. Still, another was by undermining dissent, questioning the validity of opposition, and refusing to honor public will, up to and including threatening or preventing the peaceful transfer of power.” Abuse Of PowerMedia ManipulationDictatorsAuthoritariansUndermining Dissent Book:Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump Source: Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump