--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before the election, I reported on a…" description: "\"Before the election, I reported on a story about a counterintelligence officer from another service sending reports to the FBI saying that his sources ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/david-corn-23554_believe_before-the-election-i-reported-on-a-stor_2993625.jpg" --- # Before the election, I reported on a story about a… ![“Before the election, I reported on a story about a counterintelligence officer from another service sending reports to the FBI saying that his sources in Russia were saying that Moscow tried for years to cultivate and co-opt Donald Trump. I'm not saying that happened. I'm saying I hope the FBI…” quote by David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/david-corn-23554_believe_before-the-election-i-reported-on-a-stor_2993625.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/david-corn-23554_believe_before-the-election-i-reported-on-a-stor_2993625.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/david-corn-23554_believe_before-the-election-i-reported-on-a-stor_2993625.jpg) > “Before the election, I reported on a story about a counterintelligence officer from another service sending reports to the FBI saying that his sources in Russia were saying that Moscow tried for years to cultivate and co-opt Donald Trump. I'm not saying that happened. I'm saying I hope the FBI took a strong look, because it is really hard to believe that a president-elect would be so callous in how he approaches this issue and so dismissive of the seriousness of it.” [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote expresses concern over a president‑elect’s alleged indifference to intelligence warnings about foreign influence. **In simple terms:** Concern about leadership ignoring serious security warnings. Key Takeaway Demand accountability and thorough investigation. Themes politics security leadership Mood skeptical concerned Type journalistic political When to use this quote - election aftermath - policy debates - national security meetings - public discourse Key Concepts intelligence analysis foreign influence media scrutiny Questions to Reflect On - What standards should leaders meet when handling intelligence? - How can the public verify such claims? A Different Perspective Evidence may be inconclusive, risking speculation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Fbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fbi/) [Fbi Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fbi-saying-4716568/) [Fbi Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fbi-took-4146606/) [Hard to believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-to-believe/) [Reported Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reported-story-4716569/) [Reports Fbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reports-fbi-4716567/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Seriousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriousness/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Trump Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump-saying-863720/) ## Related quotes > [“The CIA officer at the black site relayed the report to his headquarters. The CIA’s director, George Tenet, was unhappy to learn that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-weiner/the-cia-officer-at-the-black-site-relayed-the-report-to-his/) [Tim Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-weiner/) > [We continue to get stories that Donald Trump colluded with the Russians, even though there's no evidence. We continue to get stories that Donald…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-continue-to-get-stories-that-donald-trump-colluded-with-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [It is hard to get mad at Donald Trump for saying stupid things, in the same way you don't get mad at a monkey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/it-is-hard-to-get-mad-at-donald-trump-for-saying-stupid-things-in-the/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [ I remember the president-elect \[Donald Trump\] saying that I'm going to do something to dramatically, positively change communities, particularly in urban areas, and I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-remember-the-president-elect-donald-trump-saying-that-i-m-going-to/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I'm sick of people who supported Trump saying, 'Get over it. You lost.' That's not how America works. We get to critique him the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-van-gundy/i-m-sick-of-people-who-supported-trump-saying-get-over-it-you-lost/) [Stan Van Gundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-van-gundy/) > [I especially cannot imagine anyone who grew up during the Cold War era listening to Donald Trump and saying, you know what, that's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-castro/i-especially-cannot-imagine-anyone-who-grew-up-during-the-cold-war/) [Julian Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-castro/) > [Donald Trump is saying the right thing. We're bringing in so much labor, it's pulling down working people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sessions/donald-trump-is-saying-the-right-thing-we-re-bringing-in-so-much/) [Jeff Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sessions/) > [Donald Trump has been saying that I think for as long as I've been listening to him of late, and that's what he's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/donald-trump-has-been-saying-that-i-think-for-as-long-as-i-ve-been/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [I think what Donald Trump is saying to people is that America has way more leverage at the negotiating table than America has used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-think-what-donald-trump-is-saying-to-people-is-that-america-has-way/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [I came out very strongly that we want a border, and the Mexican government probably convinced him that Donald Trump was saying not nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-came-out-very-strongly-that-we-want-a-border-and-the-mexican/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [If on social media there is rampant offense over Donald Trump saying "We got some bad hombres out there," then Trump becomes a reprobate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-on-social-media-there-is-rampant-offense-over-donald-trump-saying/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [ Here's an interesting twist, though, President Pena Nieto later tweeting that he told \[Donald\] Trump in their private meeting that Mexico will not pay… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kornacki/here-s-an-interesting-twist-though-president-pena-nieto-later/) [Steve Kornacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kornacki/) > [I do have a concern that if we just say no Trans-Pacific Partnership, we're done, we're ignoring the region, and then, yes, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/i-do-have-a-concern-that-if-we-just-say-no-trans-pacific-partnership/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [In foreign countries, when people see what Donald Trump is saying on Twitter since the election and seeing what he's saying in these calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/in-foreign-countries-when-people-see-what-donald-trump-is-saying-on/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [When you have a candidate like Donald Trump saying that Mexicans are rapists and drug dealers, and also doubling down and suggesting that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-wasserman-schultz/when-you-have-a-candidate-like-donald-trump-saying-that-mexicans-are/) [Debbie Wasserman Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-wasserman-schultz/) ## More by David Corn > [When Hillary Clinton was in the Clinton White House as first lady, the left - the right accused her of being wide eyed radical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/when-hillary-clinton-was-in-the-clinton-white-house-as-first-lady-the/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [There's a guy named Richard Spencer, who is the intellectual guru of the movement, according to Breitbart and he says, basically - this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/there-s-a-guy-named-richard-spencer-who-is-the-intellectual-guru-of/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [I think choosing Steve Bannon as a chief strategist this is a stunning, historic decision for Donald Trump in a bad way. Stephen Bannon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/i-think-choosing-steve-bannon-as-a-chief-strategist-this-is-a/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [This is the problem with foreign policy - talking about foreign policy in a political context. Politics is binary. People win and lose elections.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/this-is-the-problem-with-foreign-policy-talking-about-foreign-policy/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [This is how proofiness works. The assertion is more important than the evidence itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/this-is-how-proofiness-works-the-assertion-is-more-important-than-the/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [Obama has not accomplished a key mission: sell his own successes and keep his own (political) troops fired up and ready to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/obama-has-not-accomplished-a-key-mission-sell-his-own-successes-and/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [I do think John Kerry has tried awfully hard to work with Russia and others to have a lasting, significant cease-fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/i-do-think-john-kerry-has-tried-awfully-hard-to-work-with-russia-and/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [I think Hillary Clinton has a lot of lee way to go, either direction, and to probably most likely try to fudge it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/i-think-hillary-clinton-has-a-lot-of-lee-way-to-go-either-direction/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [I still am mystified about why Donald Trump is out there tweeting praise of Vladimir Putin, and still kind of denying and dismissing whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/i-still-am-mystified-about-why-donald-trump-is-out-there-tweeting/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [Donald Trump says we shouldn't be involved in these Middle East wars, let them fight it out themselves. And yet here he is talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/donald-trump-says-we-shouldn-t-be-involved-in-these-middle-east-wars/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [Breitbart is sort of an ill-defined, loose-knit collection of a wing of the conservative movement. What do they do? The rant against immigration, Muslims,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/breitbart-is-sort-of-an-ill-defined-loose-knit-collection-of-a-wing/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [Bush and Cheney were not misled by flawed intelligence; they used the flawed intelligence to mislead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/bush-and-cheney-were-not-misled-by-flawed-intelligence-they-used-the/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [I think Donald Trump should be delegitimized for many reasons. And his response to this hacking is also cause for delegitimization. But to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/i-think-donald-trump-should-be-delegitimized-for-many-reasons-and-his/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [The Republican base is not reflective of the whole country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/the-republican-base-is-not-reflective-of-the-whole-country/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) > [This is not only a possible breach of national security; it is a potential violation of law. Under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/this-is-not-only-a-possible-breach-of-national-security-it-is-a/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) [Explore all 25 David Corn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before the election, I reported on a story about a counterintelligence officer from another service sending reports to the FBI saying that his sources in Russia were saying that Moscow tried for years to cultivate and co-opt Donald Trump. I'm not saying that happened. I'm saying I hope the FBI took a strong look, because it is really hard to believe that a president-elect would be so callous in how he approaches this issue and so dismissive of the seriousness of it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Corn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/before-the-election-i-reported-on-a-story-about-a-counterintelligence/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/before-the-election-i-reported-on-a-story-about-a-counterintelligence/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/david-corn-23554_believe_before-the-election-i-reported-on-a-stor_2993625.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/david-corn-23554_believe_before-the-election-i-reported-on-a-stor_2993625.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04b/david-corn-23554_believe_before-the-election-i-reported-on-a-stor_2993625.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Before the election, I reported on a story about a counterintelligence officer from another service sending…” — David Corn", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Corn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Before the election, I reported on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/before-the-election-i-reported-on-a-story-about-a-counterintelligence/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/before-the-election-i-reported-on-a-story-about-a-counterintelligence/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```