Trump’s Intelligence Team Conducts Confidential Talks with Taiwanese Official Amid Diplomatic Tensions
Trump intelligence talks Taiwan: A little-known group of intelligence advisors that authorities believe have become a major power node in U.S. President Donald Trump’s White House met secretly with Taiwan’s senior envoy in Washington this month.
Two people with knowledge of the situation characterized the meeting with Taiwan’s de facto U.S. ambassador, Alexander Yui, as one of the highest-level encounters between the two countries to date during Trump’s second term.
President’s Intelligence Advisory Board meeting
Additionally, the hitherto unheard-of President’s Intelligence Advisory Board—which has always played a low-key role in policymaking and includes people with positions outside the federal government—had an exceptionally delicate meeting. A White House official played down the interaction, claiming that it was an informal discussion between a few PIAB members and a foreign ambassador that was organized by a mutual acquaintance rather than an official, sanctioned PIAB session.
However, a number of national security officials told Reuters that they see the body, which is supposedly responsible for advising the president on the efficacy of the intelligence community, as a new source of influence in Trump’s White House, especially since mass firings have otherwise marginalized national security officials across the government.
Trump Taiwan meeting diplomatic sensitivity
One indication of this seems to be the previously unreported encounter with Yui. Meetings between U.S. and Taiwanese officials are a delicate diplomatic matter since Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as its own, does not have formal connections with the United States. On Friday, Trump is scheduled to have a phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. An deal to transfer ownership of the short-video app TikTok to the United States is on the agenda for that conversation.
A few of the PIAB members have direct communication with Trump and are powerful figures in his inner circle. According to three people acquainted with their connection, Devin Nunes, the head of the PIAB board, is especially close to Trump. Currently serving as the CEO of the Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT.O), Nunes is a former member of Congress. Trump’s favorite social media site, Truth Social, is run by Trump Media.
Amaryllis Fox, the current deputy director of national intelligence, and Robert O’Brien, Trump’s first-term national security advisor, are among the other members of the PIAB.
Compared to Trump’s first administration, when the PIAB lacked a chairman until well into his second year in office, Michael Desch, a professor of political science at Notre Dame and co-author of the book “Privileged and Confidential: The Secret History of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board,” said the PIAB seemed to be a more active and legitimate organization.
“There were a lot more pros, candidly, than I had anticipated,” Desch stated in reference to the current PIAB membership status. “There are some serious people on it.”
Neither the names of PIAB members present nor the topics of the discussion with Yui were available to Reuters. According to a source who asked to remain anonymous since PIAB operations are confidential, O’Brien and Nunes were among those present at the meeting.
Earlier in the summer, Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo was scheduled to go to the Washington region to meet with U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, but the trip was canceled.
O’Brien and Taiwan’s Washington representative office refused to comment. A request for response from PIAB administrative officer and Nunes’s firm, Trump Media, was not answered.
AFTER THE SLEEPY BOARD GAINS POWER
The National Security Council, a considerably bigger and more well-known White House body that advises the president on foreign policy, has been struck by many scandals in recent months, leaving the once-dominant organization in ruins.
The heads of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency were unexpectedly dismissed, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and other intelligence agencies are being drastically reduced.
The PIAB’s destiny is somewhat different.
According to someone familiar with the board’s activities, it has been holding regular meetings in recent months. The PIAB members have increased their visibility in the White House, according to three additional sources, one of whom is a U.S. intelligence officer.
Although it’s unclear exactly what members have talked with the president, Trump has praised a number of members. Fox, the deputy director of national intelligence, is also a senior official in the Office of Management and Budget and was a candidate for deputy CIA Director.
According to a different source with intimate knowledge of the situation, several NSC employees who were let go in recent months were asked about accepting a post with the PIAB. According to two diplomatic sources, some foreign ambassadors have started phoning PIAB members to inquire about administration stances on national security issues.
Other national security experts cautioned against establishing a direct connection between the PIAB’s rise in power and dismissals in other government positions. They contend that in the end, a volunteer board—many of whom reside outside of Washington—is unlikely to regularly participate in intricate and detailed national security decisions.
The president appoints the members of the PIAB. They have security clearances and are unpaid, yet the PIAB is regarded as an official White House agency.
The impact of the board has changed from administration to administration. Trump appointed a PIAB chairman a month before to his inauguration, but he did not do so until almost halfway through his first term. He announced 11 more members in February.