In the latest indicator of President Trump’s determination to close America’s biggest-ever land acquisition by whatever means necessary, US intelligence agencies have been directed to step up their efforts to gather information about Greenland, Denmark and their internal political dynamics, according to two people “familiar with the effort” who leaked the news to The Wall Street Journal.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard lashed out at the leaks: “The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the President by politicizing and leaking classified information. They are breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy.” Opting against similar fire-breathing, National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt was restrained: “The president has been very clear that the U.S. is concerned about the security of Greenland and the Arctic,” he told the Journal.
According to the Journal’s sources, the directive came last week by way of a “collection emphasis message,” sent by several senior intelligence officials to subordinate agency leaders. As its name implies, this type of message shapes the priorities with which assets are assigned to various intelligence missions. The agencies are now tasked with:
- Gathering information about Greenland’s independence movement
- Assessing Greenlanders’ sentiments about US extraction of its wealth of resources
- Identifying backers of a US takeover of the island — in both Greenland and Denmark
It’s not clear which of the intel community’s many tools — which include spy satellites, drones, communications surveillance and covert operatives — will be used to harvest information about political movements and individuals in Greenland and Denmark.
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