Trump’s slow-building war on intelligence

President Trump has questioned the findings of his own U.S. intelligence community before. But he broke new ground Wednesday — and in the process set quite a precedent for the dissemination of information about America’s threats.

Much of Trump’s feuding with the intel community has been indirect. He has sprinkled doubt upon its Russia findings, and he has mischaracterized what it said about Saudi Arabia’s role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. When Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats seemed to vent about Trump’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, White House advisers privately fumed, but a public clash was averted.