The White House has always had a problem with leaks, but none so much as during the current administration. Charles Krauthammer called it, “The Niagara Falls of leaks.” In fact, Trump’s leak problem has become so pronounced that President Trump is considering a complete ban on all personal cell phones.
But are the leaks really that bad? Well, the leaks have been numerous, with dozens coming out of the White House each month. But many of them have been highly superficial, and quite a few of them have been fairly amusing – but none have indicated any kind of criminal liability on the part of Donald Trump.
Some of the more amusing leaks to have emerged from this Obama-holdover-infested White House include Trump having a fit over the low quality of hand towels on Air Force One, watching television in his bathrobe, grilling high level advisors about the importance of a strong dollar at 3:00 AM, and other peculiarities that really make Trump seem more human than cast him in any kind of disparaging light.
When the leak about Trump bothering his staff over the strength of the dollar was reported, we were expected to look on it as foolish and strange- but really, while obsessive, it just makes him look like he’s extremely serious about doing a good job as President.
Then there have been some more serious leaks involving Jared Kushner and certain things Trump had either said to or about James Comey- but again, none of them indicated anything illegal.
One of the most explosive leaks was about the President’s phone conversation with the Prime Minister of Australia. Trump told Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that their conversation was one of the worst he had had with a foreign leader and that the immigration deal was also, “the worst ever.”
Really, these many leaks have only revealed the fact that the President is a forceful leader who does not shy away from telling others like it is. Well, guess what Washington Post… that’s not news! We have always known that Donald Trump was an over the top and larger than life person with a brutal sense of humor and a penchant for expensive flare.
He is, after all, the democratically elected owner of a giant golden tower in the middle of New York. Who were we supposed to think he was, a mild-mannered accountant in orthopedic shoes?
But the leaks, by some accounts, are not going to hurt the Trump administration in the long run- they will help it. After the left wing media and inveterate Hillary supporters get used to his over the top personality- the leaks will no longer arouse much interest. When that happens, the press will be less obsessed with them- and in time people will see that nothing illegal or wrong is being revealed by the many, many leaks.
What all of these leaks do show is an irresponsible press, a misinformed public, and an Obama-appointed remnant of low-level staffers who have no regard for the law or for the fact that Trump was fairly and legally elected.
Think back to 2016, when CNN anchor Chris Cuomo told the viewing public that it was illegal for them to possess documents published by WikiLeaks. Of course, he was lying or wrong, (probably lying). But if they really believed that, then wouldn’t they be concerned about the legality of possessing secrets stolen from the White House? No. Maybe they should be, but no.
In time, what will remain when all of the hubbub has warmed over, is a press that will have revealed itself as partisan, petty, lazy, and deceptive. It will reveal a democratic party that is completely indolent when it comes to the security of the home of the First Family.
And hopefully, it will make many members of the public realize how easily they have been misled by people who have no interest in relating stories that are true, meaningful, or instructive. But if anyone should be worried about their immediate professional and legal well-being, it’s the staffers who are doing the leaking. What they are doing is illegal, and supremely unprofessional.
So, in the end, all of these leaks may well be to the benefit of the president and his supporters. But it would be unbefitting for the president to stand idly by and allow them to go on. Administration officials told Bloomberg recently that they are considering setting up strict restrictions on cell phones and other mobile devices in the White House. They said that the data security of the office has been compromised too many times, and while stories involving bathrobes may catch headlines- the cybersecurity angle is much more serious.
You may remember back in February when WikiLeaks released the Vault 7 document, it revealed that the CIA can collect data from an unpowered storage device by scanning it from a distance of a few inches. If this technology truly exists, it would make it possible for someone with the right tools to take sensitive information from a thumb drive that wasn’t even connected to a computer.
So, if properly equipped, a leaker could walk from room to room stealing classified information- and a refitted mobile device could easily contain the kind of technology that would make this a possibility.
So, it does make sense for Trump to set up cell phone bans in the White House. But is it enough?
There hasn’t been much said about leaks of a more serious nature, mostly it’s been dirt on Trump’s colorful speech habits. A ban on cell phones might help to stop these and it might help to stop more technologically driven hacking endeavors. But it would not root out those with no respect for the office, or for the law, who are so willing to release every petty incident to the press.
For the time being, we rather hope that the media and the left will be allowed to continue revealing themselves as penny-ante and graceless. That is, as long as it does not actually present a threat to the safety of the President, his family, or to national security- three things Trump’s opponents do not seem to care about in the slightest.
