Trump: Intelligence officials were ‘misquoted’ at hearing

WASHINGTON » A day after ridiculing his top intelligence officials as “passive and naive” and claiming they were ignorant about world affairs, President Donald Trump on Thursday said the media had fabricated a conflict, and that the officials were “misquoted” by the press after a public congressional hearing that was carried live on television.

The directors of the FBI and the CIA, the director of national intelligence and other officials testified Tuesday about worldwide threats to U. S. national security, revealing significant differences between what the intelligence community has concluded and what the president claims about Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, the prospect for nuclear talks with North Korea, the strength of Islamic State and other security issues.

Trump lashed out at the intelligence chiefs on Twitter, calling their assessments “wrong” and suggesting that “Intelligence should go back to school!”

But Thursday, Trump said the intelligence chiefs had told him their remarks had been taken out of context, and that there was no distance between the president and his advisers.

“Just concluded a great meeting with my Intel team in the Oval Office,” Trump tweeted, with a picture of CIA Director Gina Haspel, Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats and others seated around the Resolute Desk. The officials “told me that what they said on Tuesday at the Senate Hearing was mischaracterized by the media — and we are very much in agreement on Iran, ISIS, North Korea, etc.,” Trump said. “Their testimony was distorted press....”

“I would suggest you read the COMPLETE testimony from Tuesday,” the president added. “A false narrative is so bad for our Country. I value our intelligence community. Happily, we had a very good meeting, and we are all on the same page!”

The hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee was public and carried on multiple TV networks. Coats, speaking on behalf of the other five witnesses, submitted 42 pages of written testimony on a wide range of security threats. Video of the hearing was posted on the committee’s website.

None of the agencies whose leaders testified have issued retractions or amendments to their written or spoken statements.