The @AP's @AamerISmad published an anonymous Biden Admin official claiming the reported "China spy base in Cuba" existed during the Trump Admin.

This is the exact same approach they took to the Chinese spy balloon. "Oh, this happened during Trump too!"

All garbage. (thread 🧵) Why didn't the @AP's @AamerISmad ask any of us who were actually there during Trump, rather than just doing Biden stenography?

The most senior people at ODNI, NSC & State would have said this is nonsense and the Biden Admin is trying to deflect from their China failures.

Want to know what it's like to deal with some journalists who "cover" the Intel and NatSec communities at the highest level, but actually serve more like mouthpieces of the permanent security state?

Here's a story about how wrong they can be without consequences.

Thread... I was serving as Deputy DNI for Strategy & Communications in 2020, so during the height of election season. I was part of then-DNI @JohnRatcliffe's small circle of advisors and part of my job was handling reporter inquiries, particularly if they dealt directly with the DNI.