The biggest rogue actor McMaster faced, however, was Trump himself. The president was repeatedly warned by advisers that Russia, China, and other countries were eavesdropping on his cell phone calls. He made them anyway and continued to crowdsource advice on even the most sensitive national security subjects. “He’s just talking to the fucking lunatics all weekend, with the Chinese and Russians and everybody listening,” a national security official said. Did they know for sure? “Fuck yeah,” the official said. The intelligence was clear-cut. One Republican senator recalled Trump calling to ask
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