Ray McGovern — The Surveillance State Behind Russia-gate

Although many details are still hazy because of secrecy – and further befogged by politics – it appears House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes was informed last week about invasive electronic surveillance of senior U.S. government officials and, in turn, passed that information onto President Trump.

This news presents Trump with an unwelcome but unavoidable choice: confront those who have kept him in the dark about such rogue activities or live fearfully in their shadow. (The latter was the path chosen by President Obama. Will Trump choose the road less traveled?)

What President Trump decides will largely determine the freedom of action he enjoys as president on many key security and other issues. But even more so, his choice may decide whether there is a future for this constitutional republic. Either he can acquiesce to or fight against a Deep State of intelligence officials who have a myriad of ways to spy on politicians (and other citizens) and thus amass derogatory material that can be easily transformed into blackmail.…

Consortium News
The Surveillance State Behind Russia-gate
Ray McGovern, CIA analyst for 27 years and in charge of one-on-one briefings of the President’s Daily Brief under Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1985, and Bill Binney, former Technical Director, World Geopolitical & Military Analysis, NSA, and co-founder of NSA’s SIGINT Automation Research Center.