One of the rally cries of the Trump presidency has been to "drain the swamp," a challenge to partisan politicians and the Washington cronyism that has infested federal government.

This kind of big government bashing does not sit well with many in the Washington establishment or the liberal media.We've also heard the terms "leaking" and "deep state" used frequently in Trump's first six months of office.Since Trump entered the White House, a new Senate report determined that our nation has faced an unprecedented wave of potentially damaging leaks of information. The 24-page report, titled "State Secrets: How and Avalanche of Media Leaks is Harming National Security," estimated the Trump administration has had about one leak per day - 125 leaks potentially damaging national security in 126 days - and that is considered a conservative estimate."Under President Trump's predecessors (the Obama and George W. Bush administrations), leaks of national security information were relatively rare, even with America's vibrant free press," the report found.The report warned that the leaks have "real world consequences for national security" and that "federal law enforcement officials ought to thoroughly investigate leaks of potentially sensitive information flowing at an alarming rate."The report also noted that "all such revelations are potential violations of The Espionage Act and punishable by jail time.The report said a review of the sources cited in news reports containing those leaks indicates they are "coming from across the government" - with some "clearly from within the intelligence community."Last Friday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other top administration officials lashed out at illegal leaks and warning the offenders will be held accountable. Just the day before, transcripts of President Trump's phone calls with the leaders of Mexico and Australia were released to The Washington Post.Earlier in the week, Top White House aide Sebastian Gorka warned White House leakers that President Trump's new chief of staff John Kelly "is a man you do not toy with" and that he had already sensed a mood change in the staff at the West Wing with Kelly in charge.Just a day before, transcripts of President Trump's phone calls with the leaders of Mexico and Australia were released to The Washington Post.Steve Cortes, a market strategist, former CNBC commentator and a former member of Trump's Hispanic advisory council, said the leaks are "treasonous" and that "deep state" bureaucrats are trying to "upend the Trump presidency."Deep state is defined as "a clandestine network entrenched inside the government, bureaucracy, intelligence agencies and other governmental entities that controls state policy behind the scenes. The democratically elected process and elected officials are merely figureheads."Some Trump defenders feel we are in the midst of a deep state coup, and Trump is the target. Former NSA intelligence analyst John Schindler amplified this when he tweeted that a friend in the "intelligence community" told him that Trump "will die in jail."The immediate concern is finding the leaker(s). The president needs to be able to manage U.S. security and intelligence operations and conduct foreign relations without worrying whether or not his private meetings and calls will be leaked to the mainstream press, which seems obsessed with seeing the Trump administration fail.Steve Cortes put it in simple terms: "The swamp is hard to kill."By Jim Zbick |

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