The Coronavirus Is the Worst Intelligence Failure in U.S. History

mrdeltoid · Mar 27, 2020

W_Heisenberg said:
The Coronavirus Is the Worst Intelligence Failure in U.S. History

It’s more glaring than Pearl Harbor and 9/11—and it’s all the fault of Donald Trump’s leadership.

...Suffice it to say, the Trump administration has cumulatively failed, both in taking seriously the specific, repeated intelligence community warnings about a coronavirus outbreak and in vigorously pursuing the nationwide response initiatives commensurate with the predicted threat. The federal government alone has the resources and authorities to lead the relevant public and private stakeholders to confront the foreseeable harms posed by the virus. Unfortunately, Trump officials made a series of judgments (minimizing the hazards of COVID-19) and decisions (refusing to act with the urgency required) that have needlessly made Americans far less safe.

...By now, there are three painfully obvious observations about Trump’s leadership style that explain the worsening coronavirus pandemic that Americans now face. First, there is the fact that once he believes absolutely anything—no matter how poorly thought-out, ill-informed, or inaccurate—he remains completely anchored to that initial impression or judgment. Leaders are unusually hubristic and overconfident; for many, the fact that they have risen to elevated levels of power is evidence of their inherent wisdom. But truly wise leaders authentically solicit feedback and criticism, are actively open thinkers, and are capable of changing their minds. By all accounts, Trump lacks these enabling competencies.

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More continued at link:

The Coronavirus Is the Worst Intelligence Failure in U.S. History, and It's All Trump's Fault

WaPo did an article on this also. Although not as strident and hysterical as the Zenko opinion piece, it did say there were reports that the Chinese were down playing the issue. There was no actual evidence presented by the IC in Jan/Feb, but there position was they weren't being completely honest. Which is their standard operating procedure. The problem is, by the time this "intel" was reported, the virus had been in the US for probably a month or more. I understand that the never Trumpers are going to blame everything on Trump, and some of the criticism deservedly so, but he did take quick action with the travel restriction, when the truth became apparent. Also, the worst Intelligence Failure in U.S. History? More glaring than Pearl Harbor and 9/11—and it’s all the fault of Donald Trump’s leadership? Nobody had a clue this was coming. Not to this magnitude. But, Zenko is entitled to his opinion, as is his "source".

"The article said the classified reports "didn’t predict when the virus might land on U.S. shores or recommend particular steps that public health officials should take," but the Trump administration did take some early steps to mitigate the spread of the virus into the states, including the declaration of a public health emergency on Jan. 31 and travel restrictions related to China.
At the end of February, Trump implemented restrictions on travel to and from Iran. Trump announced a European travel ban earlier in March and followed up on that by declaring a national emergency as well. The day the Trump administration announced the China travel restrictions, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accused him of “hysterical xenophobia.” Major news outlets were also harshly critical of Trump’s decision. "

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...-coronavirus&usg=AOvVaw1rwdtrs9yGfHduiURPz8T_

humbolt · Mar 27, 2020

iguanaman said:
Yes we will get thru this but we need to learn from it too. Trump was wrong to fire the pandemic teams around the world and you need to admit that. He was also wrong to discount and claim it was not a threat to us.

The US was not prepared to deal with a previously unknown disease, and neither was anybody else. Be thankful it hasn't proven to be more deadly than it is. We've had more cases than China (which I seriously doubt), but with a much lower mortality rate than they had (again, I sispect China's rate is much higher than claimed). We're doing something right, and we haven't had to weld the steel doors shut on apartment complexes. I'm sure we'll learn a lot, and hopefully be better prepared for the next one, whatever form it may take.

weaver2 · Mar 27, 2020

iguanaman said:
Perhaps if Trump had not cut our epidemic control teams in China and 38 other countries we might have had a chance for a better outcome. It seems that in disease control as well as in our diplomatic corp Trump has left us weak and vulnerable. Could it have been intentional or is it just criminally stupid?

In 2018 Trump:

*fired the U.S. pandemic response team to cut costs.
*gutted the nation’s infectious disease defense infrastructure.
*fired officials tasked with directing a national response to a pandemic.
Disbanded The National Security Council on global health security team on the National Security Council was disbanded.
*Fired Tom Bossert who called for a comprehensive biodefense strategy against pandemics and biological attacks.
*axed the executive branch team responsible for coordinating a response to a pandemic and did not replace it.
*cut funding for the CDC, forcing cancelation of its efforts to help countries prevent infectious-disease threats from becoming epidemics in 39 of 49 countries. China was one of those countries canceled.
Did Trump Administration Fire the US Pandemic Response Team?
*downsized the White House national security staff , eliminates jobs addressing global pandemics

In 2019 Trump
*shuts down USAID program PREDICT designed to improve the “detection and discovery of zoonotic viruses with pandemic potential. Did Trump try to cut the CDC'''s budget as Democrats claim?: ANALYSIS - ABC News
*defunded United States personnel at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention …. a liaison between Chinese officials and CDC in the US. five months before China began to see its first Covid-19 cases. ….Chinese officials were able for weeks to conceal the virus leading to a delay in the world’s response.
Coronavirus: Trump removed US official meant to monitor China for diseases like Covid-19 - Vox

Mid December,2019 China anounces coronavirus.

2020
*January 3 Top health officials first learned of the virus’s spread in China Intelligence reports warned about a coronavirus pandemic in January. Trump reportedly ignored them. - Vox
*Jan 22 Trump tells CNBC when asked about the virus, “It’s going to be just fine. We have it totally under control.”
Trump dissed coronavirus pandemic worry, now claims he warned about it

By firing the Liaison between Chinese CDC and US CDC the US eliminated any chance to get early information about the developing epidemic in China. With an American in China working side by side with the people working on epidemics she would have know about the epidemic and China wouldn't have been able to pretend nothing was going on and the US would have gotten information much much earlier and been better prepared.

And because of Trump's isolation policy the US didn't take its usually coordinating role and every country was on its own to deal with the virus.

No early warning and no global leadership=no preparation, no plan and no action. It's a plan designed to spread an epidemic.

iguanaman · Mar 27, 2020

humbolt said:
The US was not prepared to deal with a previously unknown disease, and neither was anybody else. Be thankful it hasn't proven to be more deadly than it is. We've had more cases than China (which I seriously doubt), but with a much lower mortality rate than they had (again, I sispect China's rate is much higher than claimed). We're doing something right, and we haven't had to weld the steel doors shut on apartment complexes. I'm sure we'll learn a lot, and hopefully be better prepared for the next one, whatever form it may take.

You act like it is over when it has only just started. New Orleans has the fastest growing hot spot in the world, Chicago and Detroit are not far behind. We will need to stay shut down for at least another 6 to 8 weeks.

Atomic Kid · Mar 27, 2020

mrdeltoid said:
WaPo did an article on this also. Although not as strident and hysterical as the Zenko opinion piece, it did say there were reports that the Chinese were down playing the issue. There was no actual evidence presented by the IC in Jan/Feb, but there position was they weren't being completely honest. Which is their standard operating procedure. The problem is, by the time this "intel" was reported, the virus had been in the US for probably a month or more. I understand that the never Trumpers are going to blame everything on Trump, and some of the criticism deservedly so, but he did take quick action with the travel restriction, when the truth became apparent. Also, the worst Intelligence Failure in U.S. History? More glaring than Pearl Harbor and 9/11—and it’s all the fault of Donald Trump’s leadership? Nobody had a clue this was coming. Not to this magnitude. But, Zenko is entitled to his opinion, as is his "source".

"The article said the classified reports "didn’t predict when the virus might land on U.S. shores or recommend particular steps that public health officials should take," but the Trump administration did take some early steps to mitigate the spread of the virus into the states, including the declaration of a public health emergency on Jan. 31 and travel restrictions related to China.
At the end of February, Trump implemented restrictions on travel to and from Iran. Trump announced a European travel ban earlier in March and followed up on that by declaring a national emergency as well. The day the Trump administration announced the China travel restrictions, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accused him of “hysterical xenophobia.” Major news outlets were also harshly critical of Trump’s decision. "

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...-coronavirus&usg=AOvVaw1rwdtrs9yGfHduiURPz8T_

That some disingenuous editing there. You didn't finish the rest

"The intelligence reports didn’t predict when the virus might land on U.S. shores or recommend particular steps that public health officials should take, issues outside the purview of the intelligence agencies. But they did track the spread of the virus in China, and later in other countries, and warned that Chinese officials appeared to be minimizing the severity of the outbreak.

These passages also appears in the WAPO article;

"Taken together, the reports and warnings painted an early picture of a virus that showed the characteristics of a globe-encircling pandemic that could require governments to take swift actions to contain it."

“But despite that constant flow of reporting, Trump continued publicly and privately to play down the threat the virus posed to Americans. Lawmakers, too, did not grapple with the virus in earnest until this month, as officials scrambled to keep citizens in their homes and hospitals braced for a surge in patients suffering from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.”

humbolt · Mar 27, 2020

iguanaman said:
You act like it is over when it has only just started. New Orleans has the fastest growing hot spot in the world, Chicago and Detroit are not far behind. We will need to stay shut down for at least another 6 to 8 weeks.

Those folks no doubt do need to isolate. I'm already isolated. I live by myself, and I can go to my shop without encountering another human being, and nobody but me is, or has been in my shop for months. I conceivably could contract the virus in my trip to the grocery every two weeks or so, but it's very unlikely. I'll resume a more open life when I'm satisfied the threat of infection has passed. Just because life in densely populated areas has ground to a halt doesn't mean it has everywhere. Farmers continue to work. Truck drivers still drive trucks. Food is produced and distributed. Manufacturing continues in various areas. Who do you think is making all this stuff? All these now notorious N-95's? The ventilators some now claim we need by the billions?

prometeus · Mar 27, 2020

jmotivator said:
Why should I humor you by re-posting something you are too lazy to scroll back to?

You did not post what I am asking. There is no metric or how you are comparing the data to reach your conclusion.

iguanaman · Mar 27, 2020

humbolt said:
Those folks no doubt do need to isolate. I'm already isolated. I live by myself, and I can go to my shop without encountering another human being, and nobody but me is, or has been in my shop for months. I conceivably could contract the virus in my trip to the grocery every two weeks or so, but it's very unlikely. I'll resume a more open life when I'm satisfied the threat of infection has passed. Just because life in densely populated areas has ground to a halt doesn't mean it has everywhere. Farmers continue to work. Truck drivers still drive trucks. Food is produced and distributed. Manufacturing continues in various areas. Who do you think is making all this stuff? All these now notorious N-95's? The ventilators some now claim we need by the billions?

You know what I meant by shutting down. You are doing it and so am I. We need to keep it up for at least 6 more weeks.

W_Heisenberg · Mar 27, 2020

mrdeltoid said:
I understand that the never Trumpers are going to blame everything on Trump and some of the criticism deservedly so

We can blame Trump for not making sure there are enough tests, and not making sure there are enough ventilators, and not making sure there is enough PPE. We blame Trump for downplaying the issue for weeks/months. Had these things been done earlier we'd be in much better shape, and it is entirely Trump's fault.

Also, the worst Intelligence Failure in U.S. History? More glaring than Pearl Harbor and 9/11

So, I think the title is intended to provoke people and is a little hyperbolic, sort of like every other tweet by Trump.

and it’s all the fault of Donald Trump’s leadership?

It is Trump's fault we are not prepared for the present crisis.

Nobody had a clue this was coming. Not to this magnitude. But, Zenko is entitled to his opinion, as is his "source".

1. This is not true. Scientists have been worried about pandemics like for many decades.

2. It's Trump's job, as leader of our country, to contemplate possible problems in the future, and try to mitigate those problems by steering his community/country in the right direction. A leader...LEADS. A leader does not react. And the primary attribute of a leader is good judgment. Many Trump supporters, because they are bullies and jerks themselves, think leadership is about barking orders. That's not what leadership is about.

At the end of February, Trump implemented restrictions on travel to and from Iran. Trump announced a European travel ban earlier in March and followed up on that by declaring a national emergency as well.

Not enough. Sorry.

We should, right now, have enough ventilators and PPE, and test kits. We don't. That's Trump's fault.

Why do you keep defending this idiot? Why isn't clear by now to you that he's an idiot and he doesn't know what he's doing?

The day the Trump administration announced the China travel restrictions, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accused him of “hysterical xenophobia.” Major news outlets were also harshly critical of Trump’s decision. "

More pro-Trump propaganda

PolitiFact | Fact-checking whether Biden called Trump ‘xenophobic’ for restrictions on travel from China

Trump is incompetent. Trump is an idiot. Trump has poor judgment. Trump is not a good leader. We'd all be better off if he were not the President.

W_Heisenberg · Mar 27, 2020

distraff said:
It is true that Trump could have done more to limit the spread early on and he dropped the ball. But quarantine is not the solution and shutting down the economy just makes our problems worse.

So given the fact that Trump, being the incompetent moron he is, did not prepare for this by making sure the U.S. had enough ventilators, PPE, and test kits...what is your suggestion? Do you want just let people die because there aren't enough ICU beds?

W_Heisenberg · Mar 27, 2020

humbolt said:
100 years ago isn't medieval times. I agree we weren't as technologically advanced as we are now, but your hyperbole is off the reservation. The intelligence community is not to blame here.

I agree the IC is not to blame. They tried to warn Trump.

Our initial response to this virus was a little slow, and perhaps Trump bears some responsibility for that

Are you afraid you're going to upset Trump or something? Why are you so gentle with the criticism?

Not perhaps...

Our initial response to the virus WAS slow, and Trump DOES bear responsibility for it.

but after the first week or so, I'd say the response has been robust.

It's better than it was before.

Atomic Kid · Mar 27, 2020

humbolt said:
I don't think you'd know a relevant point if you fell over it. Intelligence efforts have existed since humans were hunters. The notion that this disease represents an intelligence failure is very nearly ridiculous. Intelligence may guide policy, but it's equally likely it will not, that it'll be misinterpreted, or only accepted in part. If you have a beef, and it doesn't look like you can articulate it if you do, it's with policy. The notion that a pandemic could be catastrophic to human beings has been around for a very, very long time, by example, if nothing else.

I said "coordinated intelligence" efforts. Prior to WWII American intelligence efforts were mostly ad hoc operations formed response to conflicts and crises. Once these conflicts and crises passed and other priorities arose these operations would disbanded and or disfunded and then resurrected when when another conflict or crisis arose. It was until the post WWII years under Truman did we put into place a permanent dedicated intelligence gathering agency like the ones are we are familiar with now with the passing of the 1947 National Security Act.

Also no one has said the disease itself was an intelligence failure. It was the President's response of near complete indifference that's was a failure. One that borders on willful negligence. This Administration had received multiple previous warnings from the intelligence community about the threat a pandemic would pose to our economy and national security as well as that of the world before the Coronavirus outbreak in China. In it's Worldwide Threat Assessment for 2019 also aimed a spotlight on the probability of a pandemic.

“We assess that the United States and the world will remain vulnerable to the next flu pandemic or large-scale outbreak of a contagious disease that could lead to massive rates of death and disability, severely affect the world economy, strain international resources, and increase calls on the United States for support,” the report said.

In the year prior to that in it's 2018 Threat Assessment they warned that a “novel strain of a virulent microbe that is easily transmissible between humans continues to be a major threat.”

W_Heisenberg · Mar 27, 2020

Slavister said:
And the scariest thing is .... his poll numbers are the best they've ever been! People are ... :screwy

I think people are probably relieved Trump is doing something rather than saying it's a hoax.

distraff · Mar 27, 2020

W_Heisenberg said:
So given the fact that Trump, being the incompetent moron he is, did not prepare for this by making sure the U.S. had enough ventilators, PPE, and test kits...what is your suggestion? Do you want just let people die because there aren't enough ICU beds?

I propose that we don't destroy the economy with a shutdown for months on end. Because we are shutting down we have had to devote so much of our stimulus to the economic effects rather than healthcare. I would devote the entire stimulus to helping our healthcare system cope with the virus.

humbolt · Mar 27, 2020

W_Heisenberg said:
I agree the IC is not to blame. They tried to warn Trump.

Are you afraid you're going to upset Trump or something? Why are you so gentle with the criticism?

Not perhaps...

Our initial response to the virus WAS slow, and Trump DOES bear responsibility for it.

It's better than it was before.

Oh, I've never claimed to like everything Trump, but given the level of criticism voiced here, I'm not throwing any more logs on that fire. I'm sure as hell not throwing the bug-ridden wood some of you guys have dredged up from who knows where.

I think Trump is doing fairly well under the circumstances right now. The Chinese knew this disease was spreading human to human well before they announced it. Trump would have had to compleyely shut this country down by January 15th, at the latest to avoid the contagion. The first case recorded here was January 19th, and that's the one we know of. An asymptomatic person could have arrived here earlier than that. Nobody has any way of knowing that because that asymptomatic person may never have become seriously ill him or her self.

I think you're largely pissing up a rope.

humbolt · Mar 27, 2020

Atomic Kid said:
I said "coordinated intelligence" efforts. Prior to WWII American intelligence efforts were mostly ad hoc operations formed response to conflicts and crises. Once these conflicts and crises passed and other priorities arose these operations would disbanded and or disfunded and then resurrected when when another conflict or crisis arose. It was until the post WWII years under Truman did we put into place a permanent dedicated intelligence gathering agency like the ones are we are familiar with now with the passing of the 1947 National Security Act.

Also no one has said the disease itself was an intelligence failure. It was the President's response of near complete indifference that's was a failure. One that borders on willful negligence. This Administration had received multiple previous warnings from the intelligence community about the threat a pandemic would pose to our economy and national security as well as that of the world before the Coronavirus outbreak in China. In it's Worldwide Threat Assessment for 2019 also aimed a spotlight on the probability of a pandemic.

“We assess that the United States and the world will remain vulnerable to the next flu pandemic or large-scale outbreak of a contagious disease that could lead to massive rates of death and disability, severely affect the world economy, strain international resources, and increase calls on the United States for support,” the report said.

In the year prior to that in it's 2018 Threat Assessment they warned that a “novel strain of a virulent microbe that is easily transmissible between humans continues to be a major threat.”

Good Lord. We've known the dangers of a possible pandemic for decades and decades. Thst's hardly news, and because intelligence states it only means they've addressed the obvious that any rational, educated human already knows, or might postulate. It's simply not actionable because nobody knows the nature of such diseases until they become apparent. The flu has been around for a very long time, but even now we are still guessing about the strain that may be prevalent from year to year when we develop the vaccine. Some years we guess wrong, and the flu takes a significant toll. And that's with known pathogens. Who do we blame for that? This virus was largely unknown.

Truthfully, you'd blame Trump for the weather, so this isn't surprising.

Atomic Kid · Mar 27, 2020

humbolt said:
Oh, I've never claimed to like everything Trump, but given the level of criticism voiced here, I'm not throwing any more logs on that fire. I'm sure as hell not throwing the bug-ridden wood some of you guys have dredged up from who knows where.

I think Trump is doing fairly well under the circumstances right now. The Chinese knew this disease was spreading human to human well before they announced it. Trump would have had to compleyely shut this country down by January 15th, at the latest to avoid the contagion. The first case recorded here was January 19th, and that's the one we know of. An asymptomatic person could have arrived here earlier than that. Nobody has any way of knowing that because that asymptomatic person may never have become seriously ill him or her self.

I think you're largely pissing up a rope.

"Fairly well under the circumstances"? Shall we have to remind you who it was that 'created' the circumstances he finds himself in now? Our intelligence services were warning the President that the Chinese were minimizing the actual level of threat this virus posed before then. They were basically telling him then that the horse was likely already out of the barn on this one and what we are looking at was a possible pandemic.

Atomic Kid · Mar 28, 2020

humbolt said:
Good Lord. We've known the dangers of a possible pandemic for decades and decades. Thst's hardly news, and because intelligence states it only means they've addressed the obvious that any rational, educated human already knows, or might postulate. It's simply not actionable because nobody knows the nature of such diseases until they become apparent. The flu has been around for a very long time, but even now we are still guessing about the strain that may be prevalent from year to year when we develop the vaccine. Some years we guess wrong, and the flu takes a significant toll. And that's with known pathogens. Who do we blame for that? This virus was largely unknown.

Truthfully, you'd blame Trump for the weather, so this isn't surprising.

"The obvious"? That any rational and educated human already knows"? Well, we know you're not talking Trump, then. He certainly didn't seem to know or care. And this ain't no damn 'flu'. Can we at least get that straight? This is a "novel virus". As in new. As in never having been seen before. And don't you think then that if someone were to come to tell you that a completely new virus has appeared to have arisen in a country with the largest population on earth and they appear to be pretending that it's no big deal, while simultaneously taking very drastic and spartan measures because it was in actuality freaking them out. Wouldn't that raise at least some reasonable modicum of concern?

distraff · Mar 28, 2020

W_Heisenberg said:
So given the fact that Trump, being the incompetent moron he is, did not prepare for this by making sure the U.S. had enough ventilators, PPE, and test kits...what is your suggestion? Do you want just let people die because there aren't enough ICU beds?

We use the stimulus to instead mobilize our economy to produce what we need like this is a wartime effort. We put money into helping people afford care and help pay for sick leave. We isolate the most vulnerable as much as possible and practice hand washing and sanitization. But we don't quarantine. We let the young and healthy gain immunity and this virus won't be able to spread easily anymore.

Ringo Stalin · Mar 28, 2020

Cuba: Coronavirus-hit countries ask for medical help and why the US is opposed - CNN
"... But the hyper centralization of the Cuban government, which has been so disastrous for the island's economy, makes Cuba extremely effective at disaster relief...
Now, as other countries' health care systems falter, more Cuban doctors are likely to be on the front lines of the pandemic. Those efforts should make the US government reconsider the nearly 60-year-old trade embargo on Cuba, said Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, which recently called on the Trump administration to lift economic sanctions on Cuba, Iran and Venezuela as part of the fight against coronavirus."

Coronavirus: Teenage boy whose death was linked to COVID-19 turned away from urgent care for not having insurance | The Independent

humbolt · Mar 28, 2020

Atomic Kid said:
"Fairly well under the circumstances"? Shall we have to remind you who it was that 'created' the circumstances he finds himself in now? Our intelligence services were warning the President that the Chinese were minimizing the actual level of threat this virus posed before then. They were basically telling him then that the horse was likely already out of the barn on this one and what we are looking at was a possible pandemic.

Your hindsight is excellent. Of course, if the virus cat was already out of the bag, you'd be describing an intelligence failure, but you're not.

Do you actually believe that thousands were being sickened from eating at a single wet market? No intelligence apparatus was required to make that determination. It was reported in the news, and anyone could have made that determination regardless of what the Chinese government claimed. So Trump should've shut the vountry down in mid-December, latest. Izzat what you're claiming now?

humbolt · Mar 28, 2020

Atomic Kid said:
"The obvious"? That any rational and educated human already knows"? Well, we know you're not talking Trump, then. He certainly didn't seem to know or care. And this ain't no damn 'flu'. Can we at least get that straight? This is a "novel virus". As in new. As in never having been seen before. And don't you think then that if someone were to come to tell you that a completely new virus has appeared to have arisen in a country with the largest population on earth and they appear to be pretending that it's no big deal, while simultaneously taking very drastic and spartan measures because it was in actuality freaking them out. Wouldn't that raise at least some reasonable modicum of concern?

You can refer to my previous post. Beyond that, consider the vaunted House Intelligence Committee. Surely they'd been briefed on this threat, snd surely in their much ballyhooed oversight role they'd have brought these concerns to the American people, because Trump.

Nope. They didn't do it. They were feverishly trying to impeach Trump. You may remember that.

Perhaps you can tell me what part of any intelligence on this matter was actionable by describing exactly what the president should have done and when he should have done it, because you claim to know.

Atomic Kid · Mar 28, 2020

humbolt said:
Your hindsight is excellent. Of course, if the virus cat was already out of the bag, you'd be describing an intelligence failure, but you're not.

Do you actually believe that thousands were being sickened from eating at a single wet market? No intelligence apparatus was required to make that determination. It was reported in the news, and anyone could have made that determination regardless of what the Chinese government claimed. So Trump should've shut the vountry down in mid-December, latest. Izzat what you're claiming now?

Our intelligence people were right on the money on this one. Their 2018 Threat Assessment that a "novel strain of a virulent microbe that is easily transmissible between humans continues to be a major threat.” Seems especially prescient now. The President's casual dismissal of the warnings was the failure here. They did all they could do. The NSC even had a "Pandemic Playbook" developed in the wake of the Ebola outbreak crisis for the Administration to follow. But they dismissed that as well. His Administration should've begun a broad effort to secure protective equipment at least 2 months ago.

Atomic Kid · Mar 28, 2020

humbolt said:
You can refer to my previous post. Beyond that, consider the vaunted House Intelligence Committee. Surely they'd been briefed on this threat, snd surely in their much ballyhooed oversight role they'd have brought these concerns to the American people, because Trump.

Nope. They didn't do it. They were feverishly trying to impeach Trump. You may remember that.

Perhaps you can tell me what part of any intelligence on this matter was actionable by describing exactly what the president should have done and when he should have done it, because you claim to know.

What a lame excuse that is. Do you think that Repubs effort to impeach Clinton were any less feverish? Was Clinton being any less pilloried than Trump? No, not at all. But he was still able to manage and govern our nation in the midst of it all. There's no excuse why Trump isn't able to do the same and fulfill his duties as President.

Atomic Kid · Mar 28, 2020

humbolt said:
You can refer to my previous post. Beyond that, consider the vaunted House Intelligence Committee. Surely they'd been briefed on this threat, snd surely in their much ballyhooed oversight role they'd have brought these concerns to the American people, because Trump.

Nope. They didn't do it. They were feverishly trying to impeach Trump. You may remember that.

Perhaps you can tell me what part of any intelligence on this matter was actionable by describing exactly what the president should have done and when he should have done it, because you claim to know.

BTW the US World Wide Threat Assessment, originally called the "Annual Threat Assessment", that has been given by the US Intelligence community each year since 2006, is first heard by the Senate Select Intelligence Committee and consists of at least one open or unclassified hearing. Except for this year. When the Trump Administration without explanation, postponed the DNI's World Wide Threat Assessment warning that the US remains unprepared for a global pandemic. The office of the DNI was scheduled to deliver the Assessment to the House Intelligence Committee on February 12.