Ex-intelligence chiefs: Trump fears Putin
WASHINGTON— US President Donald Trump is being played by his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, out of fear that Putin could spill the beans on Trump, two former top US intelligence officials said, expressing rage at Trump’s statement clearing Putin of complicity in Russian meddling in the US elections.
John Brennan and James Clapper both said Trump was mishandling Russia amid a special counsel’s investigation of collusion between Trump and Russia to help Trump win.
“I think Trump is, for whatever reason, either intimidated by Putin, afraid of what he (Putin) could do or what might come of these investigations,” Brennan, former head of the Central Intelligence Agency, said on CNN.
“It’s either naivete, ignorance or fear in terms of what Trump is doing vis-à-vis the Russians,” Brennan said.
Peril
“Putin is committed to undermining our system, our democracy and our whole process,” said Clapper, a former US national intelligence director.
“And to try to paint it in any other way is, I think, astounding and, in fact, poses a peril to this country,” Clapper said.
Clapper said foreign leaders who rolled out the red carpet for Trump were out to manipulate the US president.
“I do think both the Chinese and the Russians think they can play him,” Clapper said.
Brennan declined to say whether he knew of any intelligence to suggest that the Russians had compromising or damaging information on Trump and were using it to blackmail the US president.
A dossier penned by a former British spy contained un- verified claims that Russia does have embarrassing information on Trump, including encounters with Russian prostitutes when Trump was in Moscow for the Miss Universe pageant.
Brennan said Putin was “very clever in terms of playing to Mr. Trump’s interest in being flattered.”
‘He means it’
Brennan said it demonstrated that Trump could “be played by foreign leaders.”
The former intelligence offi- cers’ comments came after Trump told reporters over the weekend that he had spoken with Putin over Russian meddling in the elections and that Putin again denied involvement.
“I really believe that, when he tells me that, he means it,” Trump said.
Trump also took a swipe at Brennan, Clapper and James Comey, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation fired by Trump. Trump called them “political hacks.”
Brennan said to be criticized by Trump was a “badge of honor.”
‘Ridiculous’
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on the same show that the criticism leveled against Trump was “ridiculous.”
“President Trump is not getting played by anybody,” Mnuchin said.
Facing sharp criticism, Trump walked back from some of his comments, saying he had faith in the intelligence community.
Mike Pompeo, current chief of the Central Intelligence Agency and a Trump appointee, reiterated support for intelligence findings that confirmed Russian meddling.