'Trump was warned': Reports contradict Trump's claims of surprise by challenges in Iran
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What warnings did Trump receive about Iran's response?
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OK, today we woke up to the news. Well, a lot of news. But one of the pieces of news we woke up to was the fact that Trump's FBI director, Kash Patel, had been hacked. A group claiming to be affiliated with an Iranian intelligence agency released a trove of emails and photographs taken from a personal email account of Kash Patel's. The FBI confirmed the hack, emphasizing that the stolen materials that were leaked were, quote, historical in nature, as in before he somehow found himself as the director of the FBI and that they don't involve government information. as of now, as of what they've released. Now, we're not going to show you the materials released by those hackers today because, frankly, they're really not newsworthy.
And it appears the purpose of this hack was, of course, to embarrass Kash Patel. Now, to be honest, though, nothing released today was really anywhere near as embarrassing as what we already know about Kash Patel, what he has somehow put out himself in many ways. I mean, just last week, ProPublica reported that Kash Patel had been signing autographed pictures of himself at the FBI Academy. ProPublica also reported that Patel made these custom shoes. See them on the screen? Featuring the Kash sign, the number nine, Patel is the ninth director of the FBI, and the FBI motto. So yeah, why not make some commemorative shoes about it, I guess? As one does. I mean, this is a guy who was caught guzzling beer and partying with the U.S.
Olympic hockey team during a trip his spokesperson claimed was an official FBI trip to Milan for security meetings. Not what it appears to be as far as I can see. And this is a guy who's reportedly demanded that rotating FBI SWAT teams, teams trained to arrest violent criminals and free hostages and fight terrorists, Provide his much younger girlfriend with personal security while she performs as a singer and runs errands. This is a guy who on more than one occasion ordered FBI security personnel to drive his girlfriend's allegedly drunk friends home after nights of partying. Now, this hacking group does not appear to have released the entirety of what they obtained from Patel's personal email account.
And if they ultimately release something newsworthy, we'll report on it. But for now, the content here, this is my point, isn't the story. The hack itself is. And that's not because the hack is surprising. A lot of very high-level U.S. officials have had their personal data hacked before.
How has Trump's administration handled the cyber threat from Iran?
The hack is the story here precisely because of how unsurprising it is. I mean, U.S. officials have been warning about Iran's cyber capabilities for years now. And after the U.S. struck Iran last year back in June, Trump was repeatedly warned by his own agencies that one of the primary ways Iran could strike back against the U.S. was through a cyber attack. Trump's Department of Homeland Security warned about it, as did CISA, the NSA, the Department of Defense, and the FBI. And nearly a year ago, all five of those agencies warned Trump about the danger of cyber attacks from Iran. But despite those warnings, Trump cut more than 1,000 jobs at CISA, our country's top cybersecurity agency. Well, guess what the Trump administration started doing this week after they cut 1,000 CISA jobs and started a war with a country known for cyber attacks?
Well, they announced plans to hire 300 more people at CISA. Oh, you need those guys after all? Who could have predicted that one? Maybe anyone. Tomorrow marks one month of Trump's war with Iran. And one of the defining features of this war so far has been the combination of how predictable Iran's responses have been and also how seemingly unprepared the Trump administration has been in handling those responses.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What warnings did Trump receive about Iran's response?
0:00–2:47
2
How has Trump's administration handled the cyber threat from Iran?
2:47–5:38
3
What are the implications of closing the Strait of Hormuz?
5:38–8:31
4
How is Trump's military strategy impacting U.S. munitions?
8:31–10:50
5
What challenges does Trump face with international allies?
10:50–13:37
6
How does the CPAC event reflect divisions in Trump's base?
13:37–15:54
7
What role does Jane Fonda see for activism in today's political climate?
15:54–18:12
8
How can communities build resilience against political challenges?
18:12–44:04
Speakers
6 identifiedMore from The Briefing with Jen Psaki
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