Thread by @ClaireBerlinski

So he's denying that his administration is taking reasonable steps to protect the US against Russian disinformation and hacking? What exactly is he upset about?

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1140065300186128384

The leaking of classified information?

Makes no sense. The NSC seems to have leaked the story deliberately, presumably to send a message to Moscow: If you get involved in the next election, your lights are going out.

That's an obvious, long-overdue message.

Strong signalling is critical to deterrence.

Having the capacity to do this means nothing unless we make it known that we have the capacity and make it clear that we will use if if provoked in specific ways. Leaking to the NYT is a form of signalling--

--one that allows a certain amount of plausible deniability.

Making it clear that we can and will retaliate if provoked is necessary to protect a vital national interest--the security of our elections.

I don't think there's an American alive (Trump apart) who would not say that "the ability to have free and faire elections is a vital national interest."

So his objection can't be to the leaking, which seems to be authorized and strategic.

What then, exactly, does he object to? Protecting the integrity of our elections?

Or is he denying that we have this capacity, and if so, why? If we *aren't* doing this, he needs to fire everyone in our national security establishment.