Morning Note

Donald Trump flew home from Turkey on a secret plane last month after Israeli intelligence warned the U.S. of an Iranian plot to kill the president. But was that “intelligence” even real?

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the CIA did not trust Israel’s claims, saying the agency viewed them “as low confidence.” Some officials went further by suggesting the point of Israel’s report was to manipulate Trump into baselessly viewing Iran as a threat to America’s homeland. One former official said the warning “fit a broader pattern of Israeli intelligence reporting that some officials see as designed as much to shape presidential decision-making as to inform it.”

Has Israel ever given America a single piece of “intelligence” that did not make our leaders think they had to fight Benjamin Netanyahu’s wars for him? Literally even once? Neocons can call us conspiracy theorists all they want, but it certainly seems like the Israelis only share “information” that they think will make us demonize their enemies. Funny how that works.

Read more.