The eagle vs the parrot

Credibility of investigative agencies is the key

US President Donald Trump’s wooden retraction of his statement in Finland publicly disowning his country’s intelligence agencies speaks volumes about the power and respect these institutions command in their country. The denial, which was scripted and grudgingly delivered, was prompted by the outpouring of strongly-worded protests, not just from expected opponents — the liberal press and Democrats — but also from supporters within the Republican establishment and even an anchor of the president’s most faithful media mouthpiece, Fox News. The world has become accustomed to Mr Trump’s uninformed and crass public performances, and he had not disappointed at the Nato