>>4708878

Matthew Pottinger must have been surprised to learn that he doesn’t exist. As the top official for Asia on President Donald Trump’s National Security Council, Pottinger had briefed dozens of reporters about North Korea two days before Trump angrily tweeted that a New York Times article citing his remarks had relied on an official who “doesn’t exist.” The president was furious that the Times had paraphrased Pottinger, who spoke on background and thus could not be identified in its story, as saying it would be “impossible” for Trump to go forward with his June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because there wasn’t enough time to prepare.

“Use real people, not phony sources,” Trump fumed.

A debate ensued online about whether the Times accurately characterized Pottinger, who never used the word “impossible,” although he did come close, saying that the summit date is “in 10 minutes, and it’s going to be — you know …” without finishing the thought.

But there is no debate about whether Pottinger is real. More than that, he is among Trump’s longest-serving aides. As the NSC’s director for Asia, the sandy-haired, boyish-looking 45-year-old is the president’s top adviser on North Korea and China. He organized Trump’s 12-day trip to Asia last fall, during which he was rarely far from the president’s side. He has played a central role in coordinating Trump’s North Korea policy since early last year — one reason he was among a handful of U.S. officials to fly into Pyongyang earlier this month with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. And he has been in the thick of White House preparations for a possible summit with Kim.

Pottinger, says former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, is “one of the most significant people in the entire U.S. government.”

That comforts friends and admirers who say Pottinger is among the most grounded and thoughtful — “sane,” was more than one person’s shorthand description — people in Trump’s orbit. “I have found him variously to be smart, insightful, inquisitive and not dogmatic,” said the Harvard professor and national security strategist Graham Allison, who has discussed China policy with Pottinger. “He is loyal to the team — but listening.”

While hawks like Bannon love his tough views toward China, even Democrats call his views basically mainstream. Still, some foreign policy experts marvel at what they call the disparity between his job title and his résumé, and wonder what a nice guy like him is doing in a place like this. Because even Matt Pottinger probably never expected to wind up here.

… more

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/05/30/donald-trump-matthew-pottinger-asia-218551

Matthew Pottinger

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Matt Pottinger

Birth name Matthew Pottinger

Allegiance United States

Service/branch United States Marine Corps

Years of service 2005–2010 (active)

2010–present (reserve)

Rank Major

Battles/wars

Iraq War

War in Afghanistan

Awards

Bronze Star Medal[1]

Combat Action Ribbon[1]

Defense Meritorious Service Medal[1]

Relations J. Stanley Pottinger (father)

Matthew Pottinger is a former journalist and U.S. Marine Corps officer who is currently serving in the U.S. National Security Council of the administration of Donald Trump.

Contents

1 Early life

2 Journalistic career

3 Military career

4 Political career

5 References

6 External links

Early life

Pottinger is the son of author and former politician J. Stanley Pottinger.[2] He was educated at Milton Academy and is a schoolmate and childhood friend of fellow journalist John Avlon.[3][4] Pottinger graduated from the University of Massachusetts with an undergraduate degree in Chinese studies; he is fluent in Mandarin.[5]

Journalistic career

Before he joined the United States Marine Corps, Pottinger worked as a journalist for Reuters between 1998 and 2001.[6][2] Then he moved to The Wall Street Journal until his retirement from journalism in 2005.[2] His stories won awards from the Society of Publishers in Asia and were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He covered a variety of topics, including the SARS epidemic and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami; in the latter assignment, he met United States Marines and was inspired by their courageousness.[6][2] He spent seven years reporting in China.[7][8] While interviewing Chinese workers in Beijing about their claims of government corruption, Pottinger was attacked by a government thug.[2][6][9]

Military career

In September 2005 Pottinger joined the Marine Corps and served as a military intelligence officer.[2] He was over-aged and out of shape when he joined. To meet the physical qualifications, he worked out with a Marine officer who was living in Beijing.[2] He served three deployments: one in Iraq from April to November 2007, and two in Afghanistan from November 2008 to May 2009 and July 2009 to May 2010.[10] On his second tour in Afghanistan, he met U.S. Army General Michael T. Flynn, with whom he co-wrote a report.[2][11] The report, published in January 2010 through the Center for a New American Security, was titled Fixing Intel: A Blueprint for Making Intelligence Relevant in Afghanistan.[12] Pottinger worked in New York City, including for the hedge fund Davidson Kempner Capital Management, after he left active service.[2]

Political career

In 2017, Pottinger was hired as a member of the U.S. National Security Council of the administration of Donald Trump.[13][14][15]

In 2018, the New York Times reported, with regard to the recently cancelled[16] North Korean summit[17] that "a senior White House official told reporters that even if the meeting were reinstated, holding it on June 12 would be impossible, given the lack of time and the amount of planning needed."[18][19] The President subsequently alleged that the New York Times had made up the existence of the unnamed White House official;[20] on Twitter the journalist Yashar Ali later posted audio of Pottinger giving the officially-organized background briefing cited by the Times[21], in which, without actually using the word "impossible", he responded to a reporter's question about the feasibility of the originally-scheduled date by saying "We've lost quite a bit of time that we would need…" and "June 12th is in ten minutes." [22] [23] Which simply could imply that it is a very tight schedule, but not impossible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Pottinger

>>4709110

“Fixing Intel: A Blueprint for Making Intelligence Relevant in Afghanistan.”

In September 2005, he put his writing career on hold to serve five years as a U.S. Marine. He completed three combat deployments: to Iraq from April to November 2007 and to Afghanistan from November 2008 to May 2009 and from July 2009 to May 2010. While in Afghanistan in 2009, he cofounded and trained the Marine Corps' first Female Engagement Teams. On his second Afghanistan deployment, he spearheaded an investigation into problems with the U.S. intelligence effort, coauthoring with Major General Mike Flynn the critical 2010 report “Fixing Intel: A Blueprint for Making Intelligence Relevant in Afghanistan.” Mr. Pottinger's military awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the 2009 Lieutenant Colonel Michael Kuszewski award for Marine Corps Intelligence Officer of the Year. He finished active duty as a captain in August 2010 to resume civilian life as a writer.

https://www.cfr.org/bio/matt-pottinger

>>4709189

"The real intelligence heroes are Anons, not James Bond" :))

>>4709189

Major General Michael Flynn, left, authored the damning report with his deputy Captain Matt Pottinger and an academic, Paul Batchelor

Paul Batchelor?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1240700/American-intelligence-chief-brands-U-S-spy-efforts-Afghanistan-ignorant-disengaged.html