Sound absurd?
Not to many current and former US security officials, according to The Washington Post.
In the first US presidential debate on September 26, Trump openly doubted US intel's allegations that it was Russia that conducted the hack on Democratic National Committee servers that exposed some dark truths about the party.
"I don't think anybody knows it was Russia that broke into the DNC," he said. "I mean, it could be Russia, but it could also be China. It could also be lots of other people. It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds, okay?"
According to the Post, which consulted several former intelligence officials, "Trump is either willfully disputing intelligence assessments, has a blind spot on Russia, or perhaps doesn't understand the nonpartisan traditions and approach of intelligence professionals."
Let's be real. No proof of Russian involvement in the hacks has yet been presented. And it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that it is unlikely to ever materialize, as groundless accusations about Moscow for these kinds of breaches has become old hat for US officials on both sides of the political aisle. Everyone, from Congress to the US mainstream media, has chosen to be content with officials' assurances that "we are confident."
Sorry, guys, but that's just not good enough for everyone.
Challenging this basic principle, it would seem, defies logic. Remarkably, however, General Michael V. Hayden, former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency, seems to believe that it's "defying logic" not to.
"He seems to ignore [intelligence officials'] advice," Hayden added, referring to the fact that Trump has been accused of lacking expertise in certain arenas.
And his candidacy is certainly diverging from the expectations of many — the US intelligence community, it turns out, is no exception.
"In my experience, candidates have taken into account the information they have received and modulated their comments," the Post quoted former acting CIA director John McLaughlin as saying.
"I don't recall a previous candidate saying they didn't believe" information from an intelligence briefing, John Rizzo, a former CIA lawyer who served under seven presidents, added.
Well, gentlemen, believe it or not, this candidate does.
"It's remarkable that [Trump] refused to say an unkind syllable about Vladimir Putin," General Hayden added. It would seem, too, that hurling accusations at Putin, regardless of the grounds, has likewise become a norm of good behavior — and American political correctness.