Trump Treats Diplomacy and “Intelligence” Like Reality TV: Says Security Expert

David Crane has dedicated his professional life to intelligence and security issues both nationally and internationally. He has a long history of service and has risked his life for his country. But, at this point, he is extremely concerned about how President Trump in handling intelligence and security issues.
Crane says that Trump ignores or refuses to hear security briefings and he goes into major foreign policy events (like the meetings with Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un) grossly unprepared.
In fact, Crane says Trump treats the meetings more like “reality television” instead of diplomatic summits.
As a result of the President’s negative views on “intelligence,” Crane paints a rather dismal picture of where the United States is in world politics. According to Crane, America is withdrawing from the world stage and relinquishing its role as a world power.
America is at its weakest point since its war for independence, Crane notes.
Crane also in the podcast explains the rights of federal employees not to be fired without due process and just cause and explains the issues surrounding revoking of “security clearances.” Again, he cites the President’s actions as being more “theater” than “substance.”
Historically, the Congress and the House and Senate oversight committees on “intelligence” acted as checks and balances against abuses of Presidential power. However, Crane sadly reports that the House Intelligence Committee has abdicated that role and instead is doing the bidding of the President.
He also finds danger in the President demanding unswerving loyalty and allegiance to himself instead of the Constitution. Crane notes that the oath of office of any federal employee swears allegiance to the Constitution and not to a particular leader. He claims that President Trump either does not have the “intellectual capacity or the depth to understand that.”
Crane also notes that the national and international “rule of law” is threatened by this President. The President “does not believe in the rule of law” and “sees it as a hindrance,” Crane says.
Crane currently is the Ohio Glidden Visiting Professor at Ohio University in 2018-2019. He is a security specialist and international lawyer. He spent over 30 years in top-level intelligence work for the government. He also helped create and was the founding director of the Office of Intelligence Review for the Department of Defense.
From 2002 to 2005, Crane was the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. This was an international war crimes tribunal that brought Liberian President Charles Taylor to justice for horrific crimes.
For the past decade, Crane has been a Professor of Practice at the Syracuse University College of Law teaching international criminal law, international humanitarian law and national security law.
Crane received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Ohio University and his law degree from Syracuse University. He received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Ohio University in 2017.