In Push for 2020 Election Security, Top Official Was Warned: Don't Tell Trump

[riversedge]

Source: nytimes





April 24, 2019

WASHINGTON — In the months before Kirstjen Nielsen was forced to resign, she tried to focus the White House on one of her highest priorities as homeland security secretary: preparing for new and different Russian forms of interference in the 2020 election.

President Trump’s chief of staff told her not to bring it up in front of the president.

Ms. Nielsen left the Department of Homeland Security early this month after a tumultuous 16-month tenure and tensions with the White House. Officials said she had become increasingly concerned about Russia’s continued activity in the United States during and after the 2018 midterm elections — ranging from its search for new techniques to divide Americans using social media, to experiments by hackers, to rerouting internet traffic and infiltrating power grids.

But in a meeting this year, Mick Mulvaney, the White House chief of staff, made it clear that Mr. Trump still equated any public discussion of malign Russian election activity with questions about the legitimacy of his victory. According to one senior administration official, Mr. Mulvaney said it “wasn’t a great subject and should be kept below his level.”

Even though the Department of Homeland Security has primary responsibility for civilian cyberdefense, Ms. Nielsen eventually gave up on her effort to organize a White House meeting of cabinet secretaries to coordinate a strategy to protect next year’s elections.
......................................................

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/us/politics/russia-2020-election-trump.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

---

Link to tweet

[Chin music]

1. So...we're wide open bc trumps ego could'nt handle the truth, he already knew?

This has to end. It's about all of us. Not him. We dont live for the president. We live for all of us, and he serves us. This is madness. She eventually "gave up" , on security? She was the HEAD of Homeland Security. Should've done it anyway. UGH.

[gldstwmn]

13. We need to hammer home the message that we can't depend on a shadow

government to protect us from this guy. This is complete and utter insanity. Every day, hell every hour it's something else. He's got to be removed. If not by impeachement then by the 25th. He is dangerous.

[Chin music]

17. He's a sympathizer.

A collaborator. A 5th columnist. And he and his whole malignant, incestuous family needs to exit stage right....

[gldstwmn]

18. How was Don Jr. not indicted? I want to think

that Mueller was pushed to finish and ran out of time rather than think he protected "the royal family."

[Chin music]

19. I absolutely think that was the deal.

Really,truly appalling that that little shit hasn't been charged w something. imagine Chelsea Clintons name wherever his is. She'd be keel hauled by now. We need to act faster, as a plank in our platform. Faster, more efficient, honorable governing.

[gldstwmn]

20. Agreed. We also need to address the Mitch McConnell situation.

One man is subverting our democratic process.

[Chin music]

21. 2 guys subverting 340 million of us.

Mitch=china
trump=russia.

[Roy Rolling]

2. This!

This is when it finally "jumps the shark".

The man in charge of my national security from foreign invaders cannot have a conversation about foreign invaders because he is too afraid.

[Chin music]

7. And those foreigners are making him rich.

He doesnt care about being president. It's all about money and not having to pay his way since his money-gram/train dad died and left him to his own devices. We are his meal ticket and if he can lock in the presidency for life, it'll be just grand for he and his whole malignant family.

[orangecrush]

3. Won't starting impeachment hearings

hobble Trump and his russian troll army from interfering, since extra investigative powers are given to congess when conducting an impeachment investigation?

I would assume they wouldn't be able to operate as blatantly as they are now.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. No. His Russian troll army would shift into high gear. Your assumption has no factual basis.

Mind though, impeachment should be decided upon or not based on considerations entirely separate from what our foreign adversary would do.

[Chin music]

8. Is it ok to base it on what trump and his family did?

Last edited Wed Apr 24, 2019, 02:18 PM - Edit history (1)

Jaysus christ. Everyday it's an impeachable offense. He needs to go.

[gldstwmn]

14. CNN had an article on their website this

morning about his behavior on Twitter over the last 24 hours. The jist of it was he has really started to lose it and they provided 10 examples. They were completely serious. I think the media might be heading in the direction of calling for the 25th amendment. I'm not sure how it works though.

[orangecrush]

23. Thanks

Will check it out.

[in2herbs]

4. So where was Nielsen's OpEd exposing this about the WH when she was in office? Where is she now? nt

[Chin music]

9. Right. She swore an oath. HOMELAND SECURITY no less.

We need to reach down and grab the reins before this whole experiment in democracy, is nothing but a chapter in history books. If we are still allowed to have books.

[gldstwmn]

15. That whole department needs to be dismantled

and rebuilt or integrated into other departments. It's a bloated, ineffective clusterfuck.

[Chin music]

16. Wartime relic. It's redundant.

The gop loves it bc it's another law enforcement branch of govt they can fill with returning vets needing jobs, and have their own little gestapo. Cannot believe KN let us down so bad. Gosh. 2 years wasted. We should be hardening our systems...TODAY.

[vsrazdem]

6. Yea, that's the ticket. Don't do your job because it might upet Trump.

[Chin music]

10. If Homeland Security can't do their job...why are we paying them?

We've got vigilantes on the southern border doing the work of ice/border patrol. We have worries now about our electrical grid and everything else when the DHS was supposed to be on top of it. A little too late KN. Wtf is going on? DHS increased govt size by 18% when bush ordained it so. (Never mind that it was duplicitous then and it is now.) The gop being the ones who bitch about big govt. The longer we wait to put our foot down, the longer this looks like its A-ok with Americans. It's not. What do they do? Monitor D chatrooms? The FBI was doing just fine. Border Patrol and Customs were just fine. We didnt need all this extra police...especially if they are so lax with defending us when their guy isnt cooperating. Just really really hard to imagine that we are here in this day and age. Fricken RUSSIA?? Come on. We beat them w the cold war. YEARS of defense spending on all manner of stuff since the Second World War. And trump is giving them the keys to the front door, and info on our security like the elctrical grid. All "no big deal" until the lights, and our computers and everything go dark. Then what? Impeachment then? Will that be enough for conservative Democrats at that point? Why is anyone here on DU even discussing not throwing this son of a bitch out. Two more years? Oh hail no.

[vsrazdem]

11. ++

[Chin music]

12. +++

[riversedge]

24. We have the GOP in congress obstructing everything also. yet, they get paid also.

[Chin music]

25. Right. We need to work on that too. Heh heh.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

22. Even his own people don't trust him

[captain queeg]

26. His fragile ego is killing the US

So easily manipulated, his kids too.