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<THREAD> 1. We continue to learn more about Team Trump's foreign policy activities during the transition. It's a mess.
2. Secret meetings with the leaders of UAE and Jordan. Negotiating with Israel, Egypt, and others. A parade of meetings with Russia.
3. Attempts to establish backchannels through shady characters. And God knows what else.
4. During the Obama transition in 2008-09, our mantra was "we have one president at at time". Today that notion seems quaint.
5. But we were at pains not to interfere with the Bush Admin's conduct of actual policy, to the frustration of many foreign governments.
6. They wanted early insight into (and influence on) emerging Obama policy. We would not provide it.
7. Beyond some meetings with informed outsiders close to the Obama team who remained in listening mode, they had to be patient.
8. Why be so cautious? A transition is not fully staffed, does not have access to the range of US intelligence...
9. ...cannot follow up via embassies and other diplomats, has limits on secure communications, no ability to use econ or military levers.
10. To say nothing of the fact that the president-elect is not actually empowered to do anything on behalf of the US in this period.
11. Trying to conduct coherent foreign policy under such circumstances, besides being inappropriate, is impossible. As Trump's team proved.
12. And we see that with every report that emerges about what was going on: it was a rollicking mess, interfered with actual policy...
13. ...Was not informed by intelligence & experts working these relationships, & continues to produce embarrassing revelations months later.
14. Even without Flynn's likely corruption and questions about Kushner's conflicts, a truly ill-advised course of action. <END>
