Prez salutes Haspel's 'elite'

President Trump lauded members of the CIA as the “most elite intelligence professionals on the planet” on Monday, hours after he tweeted comments that an agency director in the Obama administration had “disgraced” America’s spy community.

“It is a true honor to stand here before the most elite intelligence professionals on the planet Earth,” Trump said at CIA headquarters, where he attended Gina Haspel’s swearing-in as the new director, along with Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (second from left), who preceded Haspel at the CIA.

“You face down our enemies, you protect our families, you stand and watch over our great nation . . . America is forever grateful.”

Earlier, Trump tweeted remarks by Don Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and Fox News commentator, who said former CIA Director John Brennan has “disgraced” himself and damaged Americans’ trust in the intelligence community.

“John Brennan is panicking. He has disgraced himself, he has disgraced the Country, he has disgraced the entire Intelligence Community,” Trump quoted Bongino, who made his comments on “Fox & Friends.”

Brennan, who headed the CIA during Obama’s second term, responded to Trump’s tweet by calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan to intervene or they “will bear major responsibility for the harm done to our democracy.”

Haspel was confirmed last week by a 54-45 vote in the Senate, making her the first woman to head the spy agency.