Politics

Media Leaks Indicate Intelligence Bureaucracy Operates in So-called 'Deep State'

The White House has denied media reports that a so-called "deep state" of the United States government is withholding information from President Donald Trump in an effort to undermine his administration.

The "deep state" – a term apparently first used in Turkey in the 1990s – refers to a secretive, informal network of officials in a country's military, intelligence and security services, and other parts of the government, who have influence, regardless of the administration formally in power. The term has been used to describe the situation in countries with a history of rule by the military, like Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt.

Citing current and former officials, a recent Wall Street Journal story reports that U.S. intelligence officials – considered to be part of an American "deep state" – have withheld sensitive intelligence from the president over concerns it could be leaked or compromised. An unnamed White House official denied this in the Journal piece, saying, "There is nothing that leads us to believe that this is an accurate account of what is actually happening."