Computer system restrictions, checking aides’ cellphones and fears of phone and email monitoring. President Donald Trump is unhappy with the leaks to the media coming from his administration. But efforts to plug those leaks have fueled paranoia among Beltway civil servants to a point where some are afraid to speak their minds during internal discussions.
Quote of the day
“There is a climate of intimidation, not just about talking to reporters, but also about communicating with colleagues.” – anonymous official.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions pledged to stay out of any probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. He also said he did nothing wrong by failing to disclose that last year while he was a senator and Trump’s campaign ally, he met Russia’s ambassador. Intelligence agencies later concluded that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Trump’s favor. Democrats want Sessions to resign. Trump said he has full confidence in the attorney general.
One consequence of the investigations into alleged Russian hacking is that Trump isn’t as effusive in his praise for Vladimir Putin. His top foreign policy advisers have started talking tougher about Russia. And his recent appointments reflect a more hawkish view of Russia.
Source: Friday Morning Briefing: ‘The atmosphere has become toxic’ | Reuters
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