Australias Alexander Downer

originally posted by: burntheships
Look no further than his close connections to The Clinton
Foundation, Bill Clinton and it becomes apparent what
the motivation is here.

I don't think its any secret that a lot of Australian government officials were in favour of Clinton winning and didn't think a Trump victory would be in the best interest of the long standing relationship with the US... and hindsight, if you look at Trumps record of how he treats US allies, they were pretty much spot on.

But, imo, Downer going rogue like he did and involving himself personally in the US election scandal, was ridiculously reckless and showed extremely poor judgement.


End of the day though, the guy is as conservative as Australian politicians come and I can't help but think that if he had done the exact same thing, except to implicate Hillary instead of Trump... the conservatives all across America would be praising him as a hero right now.

Papadopolous is a loud mouth braggart who can't hold his liquor.
Downer is/was an Australian Diplomat (Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom).

Downer did exactly what his job required when he came across intelligence: reported it to his bosses in the Australian Diplomatic corps foreign intelligence organization: ASIO.

ASIO did exactly what their obligations are under the 5-Eyes Treaty - they shared it with their American equivalent (probably also the Canadians, the Kiwis, and the British since they are also 5 eyes 'members').

End of story as far as Australia is concerned.

originally posted by: shooterbrody
a reply to: harold223
So he is a rat who relays drunk chats?
Nice
Prey tell how would Downer, former prime minister even know who or have time for such a low level staffer?
Or take seriously the drunk chat of such?

Sounds like a rat to me.

Not a spy or a rat. It was his JOB as the Australian High Commissioner (that is Ambassador rank) to learn 'stuff' and pass it on to his bosses back home. There is nothing clandestine nor underhanded about an Ambassador doing his job.

It is not his job to take the comments seriously nor to poo- pooh them. It was his job to pass them on.

It is true that we don't know the circumstances that brought them together, but lots of people, both high and low, get invited to embassy soirees. That too is the job of diplomats, its a hard life but somebody has to live it after all.

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

But, imo, Downer going rogue like he did and involving himself personally in the US election scandal, was ridiculously reckless and showed extremely poor judgment.

Thing is Downer did not do that.

Downer just did his job: he heard some intelligence and he passed in on to his superiors. Then those superiors did THEIR jobs and passed it on to their equivalents in the USA as is their obligation under 5-Eyes.

It is specifically NOT Downer's job to evaluate the intelligence.

As much as I dislike Downer as a person and a politician, he is being attacked unfairly in this.