Thread by @ZhiZhuWeb

That “Crowdstrike Conspiracy” that Trump was pressuring Pres Zelensky of Ukraine to validate?

That conspiracy theory is an attempt to discredit the entire Unites States Intelligence Community (USIC) as well as the Mueller Report.

nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/…

Why would the president of the USA withhold financial aid (worth apx $400 million) in order to pressure a foreign leader to validate a conspiracy theory designed to invalidate the unanimous findings of the US Intelligence Community?

politifact.com/truth-o-meter/…

Because the unanimous conclusion of the US Intelligence Community (CIA, FBI, NSA, etc...) was that Russia interfered in the 2016 US elections to help get Trump elected.

Link to the official report from the Director of National Intelligence:
dni.gov/files/document…

The Mueller Report also came to the same conclusion:

Russia interfered in the 2016 US elections in order to help get Trump elected.

Link to official pdf of Mueller Report:
justice.gov/storage/report…

Apparently, Trump does NOT like that conclusion.

There are several possible reasons why.

One reason is that the Mueller investigation landed Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort in prison.
nbcnews.com/politics/justi…

Others associated with Trump are also in prison or facing trial based on evidence found during the Mueller Investigation.
time.com/5556331/muelle…

Also, the USIC conclusion and Mueller Report reveal Putin, whom Trump admires, to be the bad guy.

(Remember, Trump declared publicly in Helsinki that he believes Putin's denials over the US Intelligence Community's findings.)
cnn.com/2018/07/16/pol…

It’s also possible that Trump’s ego was hurt by the implication that he did not win the election on his own merits, but because of interference by Russia.

So Trump has several PERSONAL reasons to dislike the findings of the US Intelligence Community and the Mueller Report.

Unfortunately for Trump, the work of the US Intelligence Community and the Mueller Report are part of a system designed to protect US national security.

This system is NOT designed to protect the president’s personal feelings, but rather the whole USA.

intelligence.gov/mission

Ukraine is not the only foreign govt that Trump is pressuring to provide “evidence” that the US Intelligence Community cannot be trusted.

Trump has sent US Attorney General Barr to several foreign govts, including the UK and Italy, to ask for help discrediting the USIC.

According to one British official with knowledge of Barr's assignment:

“it is like nothing we have come across before, they are basically asking, in quite robust terms, for help in doing a hatchet job on their own intelligence services”

independent.co.uk/news/world/ame…

"Mr. Barr also asked Italian authorities to “verify the operations of American agents,” Mr. Conte said. “That is, his question was to verify what the American intelligence did.”"

nytimes.com/2019/10/23/wor…

Trump himself asked Australia's prime minister to help AG Barr investigate the United State's own intelligence agencies.

"The White House curbed access to a transcript of the call — which the president made at Mr. Barr’s request"

nytimes.com/2019/09/30/us/…

To be clear.

Trump, as president of the USA, is using his power as president to try and undermine the conclusions of the USA’s own intelligence agencies.

And, of course, the Mueller Report. Because the Mueller Report did NOT exonerate Trump.

justice.gov/storage/report… V2, p182

Trump is not using the power of the POTUS to pressure foreign govts for something beneficial for the country as a whole.

Publicly undermining the USA's own intelligence agencies is not beneficial to the USA.

Trump is abusing his power as president for his own personal benefit.