Alfonse D'Amato

Trump shines overseas as intelligence agencies falter

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President Trump’s first foreign trip last week broke historic ground on a number of fronts.

His first stop, in Saudi Arabia, was particularly noteworthy. The past several administrations have gone way too easy on the Saudis. Even though 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were Saudis, George W. Bush never came down hard on them. And Barack Obama was so enthralled by the Arab Spring that he continued to overlook Saudi support for the most virulent forms of Islamic extremism.

That has changed with Trump, who made it abundantly clear that the U.S. will no longer accept the Arab world’s intransigence in the face of terrorism inspired by a warped view of Islam. In a forceful speech to a gathering of Arab leaders, Trump put them on notice that the U.S. and its Western allies cannot fight terrorism alone. Nations in the Middle East must themselves take up the fight against ISIS and other terrorist groups.

At his next stop, Trump reaffirmed the unbreakable, historic bond between the U.S. and Israel, which was severely strained by Obama’s pronounced tilt away from Israel and toward Palestinian leaders who wouldn’t even acknowledge Israel’s right to exist. Meeting in succession with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Trump signaled that the U.S. will pursue an even-handed approach and work to create conditions for a two-state solution that protects Israel’s security while recognizing the legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinian people.

When he moved on to Rome to meet the Pope, Trump also sought common ground, as the U.S. administration and the Vatican share the fundamental values of respect for the dignity of human life and a commitment to improving the world’s economy. The visit showed that even where there are differences of opinion on specific policies, there can be respect and open-mindedness.

But Trump’s trip may have made the greatest long-term impact in his interactions with our NATO allies. He has made no secret of his unhappiness with the fact that the U.S. spends nearly twice as much on NATO as our European partners do. While some European leaders chafed at this legitimate criticism, the effect has been that they are gradually stepping up to their responsibility to adequately fund their NATO commitment. In response, the U.S. has committed to increase our support of NATO.

It’s important to recount these successes, because the so-called mainstream media goes out of its way to twist every story into a diatribe against the president. While giving him begrudging credit for a largely successful trip, the U.S. press remains fixated on the Russian connection to the president and his election campaign.

Leak after leak from U.S. intelligence sources has painted an unfair portrait of Trump as he relates to Russia. He has never made a secret of his belief that Russia was treated badly in the years after the Cold War ended. He has repeatedly said that Russia’s help in defeating Islamic terrorism is more important than rehashing the conflict in Crimea. So why the media shock that his campaign lieutenants and transition staff may have had contact with Russian officials?

And why is there no outrage over the flood of leaks from these same intelligence agencies, which do real damage to U.S. security interests and our relationships with our allies. In the middle of Trump’s trip, the vicious terrorist attack in Manchester, England, brought this media hypocrisy to the surface. The very American news outlets that have savaged Trump for sharing intelligence about a general threat to aviation safety with the Russian foreign minister eagerly reported leaked details of the Manchester investigation, including publishing photos of the component parts of the device the suicide bomber used.

This intelligence breach is so egregious that British Prime Minister Theresa May warned that it seriously compromises the investigation and undermines British confidence in other nations’ law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Where did these dangerous leaks come from? Certainly not from Trump or the White House. They must have come from intelligence sources with high-level access to specific details of the investigation that should never have been disclosed to the press — maybe the same intelligence agencies that have been leaking details of meetings in the Oval Office.

So, the next time the U.S. press decries the damage loose lips in Washington do to national security, and howls at Trump’s leaked communications with world leaders, let’s remember that it’s the leaks themselves — and the intelligence agencies and officials who are pouring them out — that are the real danger to U.S. security.

Al D’Amato, a former U.S. senator from New York, is the founder of Park Strategies LLC, a public policy and business development firm. Comments about this column? ADAmato@liherald.com.