‘Of course, the deep state exists’ in America, Gingrich says
Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the US House of Representatives has accused the “deep state” – a shadowy network of powerful entrenched federal and military interests – of attempting to destabilize the administration of President Donald Trump.
“Of course, the deep state exists. There’s a permanent state of massive bureaucracies that do whatever they want and set up deliberate leaks to attack the president,” said Gingrich, a Trump confidant, according to the Associated Press.
“This is what the deep state does: They create a lie, spread a lie, fail to check the lie and then deny that they were behind the lie,” he added.
The term deep state, or derin devlet in Turkish, originated in 1950s Turkey, refers to a secretive network of influential members of government agencies or the military that operates outside the democratic system. The group is believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of government policy.
According to American scholar Dr. Kevin Barrett, “Peter Dale Scott, professor from the University of California, is probably the researcher who has done the most to popularize this term, the deep state. And he came to this whole concept out of his analysis of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.”
Trump’s chief Trump strategist, Steve Bannon, has warned about the opposition Trump is facing from the deep state. He recently told a conservative group that the Trump administration’s goal is the “deconstruction of the administrative state.”
Gingrich likens deep state to the plotline of ‘Homeland’
Gingrich likens the threat the deep state poses to Trump the plotline of the new season of “Homeland,” in which career intelligence officers try to subvert an American president-elect.
“They are fighting to keep hold of their power,” said the former House speaker.
On Friday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the “deep state” is attempting to weaken the Trump government.
Spicer was asked by Yahoo News reporter Hunter Walker if the White House believes “there’s such a thing as the deep state actively working to undermine the President.”
“I don’t think it should come as any surprise that there are people that burrowed into government during the eight years of the last administration and, you know, may have believed that agenda and want to continue to seek it,” Spicer added.
“I don’t think that should come as a surprise to anyone,” he continued.
In an interview with Press TV on Saturday, Dr. Barrett called Spicer’s statement on the deep state “a very superficial analysis.”
But he said at least Spicer is “admitting to the world that deep state exists,” and added that “Trump himself is very much a product of the very worst and ugliest forces in the deep state.”
