Posted on 01/11/2017 7:08:29 PM PST by LeoWindhorse
This evening, I had the opportunity to speak with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss recent media reports about our briefing last Friday. I expressed my profound dismay at the leaks that have been appearing in the press, and we both agreed that they are extremely corrosive and damaging to our national security.
We also discussed the private security company document, which was widely circulated in recent months among the media, members of Congress and Congressional staff even before the IC became aware of it. I emphasized that this document is not a U.S. Intelligence Community product and that I do not believe the leaks came from within the IC. The IC has not made any judgment that the information in this document is reliable, and we did not rely upon it in any way for our conclusions. However, part of our obligation is to ensure that policymakers are provided with the fullest possible picture of any matters that might affect national security.
President-elect Trump again affirmed his appreciation for all the men and women serving in the Intelligence Community, and I assured him that the IC stands ready to serve his Administration and the American people.
James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence
(Excerpt) Read more at dni.gov ...
One thing about Donald so far is that he is firing shots across lots of bows to let many know he’s not putting up with their partisan civil service guff.
It’s over due.
Somebody is on Notice.
Good point.
I want to know who paid this spy for this report.
There is a good chance nobody did, because he didn't write it. All day i've been reading that this whole pile of crap was cobbled together by trolls over at 4chan. Apparently they have archives showing people cooking up this horsesh*t online six months ago.
Speaking at a forum in Washington, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper warned of the danger posed by a capable adversary like the Chinese government.
You have to kind of salute the Chinese for what they did, Clapper said.
At least 18 million people -- and potentially tens of millions more around the world, including relatives, friends and associates of those who had background checks conducted by the U.S. government -- may have had their personal information stolen when hackers broke into the systems of the Office of Personnel Management, authorities have said.
The problem for us, frankly, is until such time as we can create both the substance and the psychology of deterrence, this is going to go on, Clapper said.
He noted unintended consequences and other related policy issues need to be considered when the U.S. government decides how to respond.
The question of just how big the breach was now focuses on files associated with background investigations, particularly forms known as SF-86s.
The forms require applicants to provide personal information not only about themselves but also relatives, friends and associates spanning several years. The forms also ask applicants about past drug use, financial history, mental health history and personal relationships.
That type of information could be exploited to pressure or trick employees into further compromising their agencies, sources have told ABC News.
The threat to national security posed by the OPM breach is significant, a top lawmaker said Wednesday.
Only the imagination limits what a foreign adversary could do with detailed information about a federal employee's education, career, health, family, friends, neighbors and personal habits, said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has now held two hearings on the matter.
Its blown up a lot of things: protection [and] security, Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Michigan, said of the OPM breach. Its a Pearl Harbor.
The attack began in late 2013, when hackers infiltrated the systems of a government contractor, KeyPoint Government Solutions, and stole the credentials of an employee working on an OPM project, according to two days of testimony on Capitol Hill.
Around the same time, hackers were able to access OPM systems and take documents detailing what OPM officials described as the platform, the infrastructure of the agencys systems.
The weak link in this case was KeyPoint, said the House committees ranking member, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland.
ABC News first reported more than a week ago that authorities suspected hackers may have extracted electronic credentials or other information from within KeyPoint's systems and somehow used them to unlock OPM's systems.
Eric Hess, CEO of KeyPoint Government Solutions, acknowledged during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday that a KeyPoint employee's log-in "credentials" were stolen, ultimately giving hackers "access to OPM."
For more than a year, the hackers rummaged undetected through various OPM systems -- all part of a suspected cyber-campaign out of China to collect information on federal workers inside the United States and others around the world, sources told ABC News.
At the Senate hearing today, the committees chairman, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, called cyber-security measures by the U.S. government grossly inadequate.
OPM Director Katherine Archuleta, meanwhile, insisted that in her 18 months as head of OPM, the agency has made significant progress.
But so have our adversaries, she said.
Exactly, Clapper covering his ass top to bottom. Sorry for the fake doc leak but it wasn’t us and it wasn’t an IC doc and not classified.
Clapper reminds me of the elementary school teacher who is so young and inexperienced to teach class that he or she is relegated to supervise lunch duty.
The “report” is filled with “secret information” easily found on google. Whoever paid for that stinking pile got had.
The “report” has been floating around since the campaign. IC didn’t need to leak it since so many Trump hating partisan hacks already had it.
Then let’s know for sure.
An investigation must be done to determine the source of the Fake report.
BTW, the ex MI6 agent fingered as the source is now on the run and in
hiding somewhere in the UK.
He was busy selling out the Cuban Patriots. To hell with that!!
What a weaselly statement. Worded ambiguously to let the press spin it their way. He could have put all this to rest but he didn’t.
Never Trumpers or Hillary would be my bet
Let’s get to the bottom of it.
President Elect Trump is going to. First ninety days. Said it at his presser.
As he must do.
Why wouldn't intelligence be blamed for letting their petty dispute with the boss being the cause of impending trouble. Who runs the damn place? The CIA,DNI, FBI or Trump. Careful boys.
Boot lick all you want....he Saint keeping you
Clapper implies that the junk document was part of his briefing.
SMH.
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