the government doesn't have superpowerful code crackers though
it has a guy working at apple who introduces the subtle vulnerability he is instructed to do
Yeah. TAO was intercepting Cisco routers in transit and installing implants.
The leap from supply chain interdiction to cooperative insiders isn't a big one.
Those two are not mutually exclusive.
I expect the evidence for this claim is axiomatic, which is to say that you think it sounds good.