Sign up for a daily newsletter defining what matters in business and markets

Stories

Trump poses risk to U.S. spy recruitment

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

David S. Cohen's NYT op-ed- lays out a grim future for U.S. spying recruitment under Trump in light of reports that he revealed highly classified intel uncovered by Israel to Russian officials.

  • One big reason to become a U.S. spy: Because people in foreign countries "see a stark difference between our ideals and the repressive and brutal regimes of their own countries."
  • On Trump jeopardizing that reason: "Tarnishing the idea that America stands for something uniquely good makes it harder for the C.I.A. to recruit spies."
  • What it means: human intel is still vital to the U.S. arsenal and this could lead to a recruitment gap.

The country to country relationships on intel hang in the balance, too: Israeli officials are reportedly "boiling mad" and reassessing their intel-sharing with the U.S., while European countries also have doubts.