Sunday, January 15, 2017
Associated Press
NEW YORK
The outgoing CIA director charged on Sunday that Donald Trump lacks a full understanding of the threat Moscow poses to the United States, delivering a public lecture to the president-elect that further highlighted the bitter state of Trump’s relations with American intelligence agencies.
John Brennan’s pointed message on national television came just five days before Trump becomes the nation’s 45th president amid lingering questions about Russia’s role in the 2016 election even as the focus shifts to the challenges of governing.
“Now that he’s going to have an opportunity to do something for our national security as opposed to talking and tweeting, he’s going to have tremendous responsibility to make sure that U.S. and national security interests are protected,” Brennan said on “Fox News Sunday,” warning that the president-elect’s impulsivity could be dangerous.
“Spontaneity is not something that protects national security interests,” Brennan declared.
Trump, who has unleashed a series of aggressive tweets against the U.S. intelligence community and his political rivals in recent weeks, did not respond to Brennan’s criticism.
But later Sunday, he retweeted a journalist’s remark that the intelligence community owes Trump an apology for briefing him on a document that contains unverified financial and personal information that could be damaging to the president-elect.
“Media should apologize also” for reporting on the document and the briefing, Trump wrote. The Associated Press has not been able to verify the contents of the document.
The president-elect remained behind closed doors in his Manhattan high rise Sunday. His team worked to answer questions about his plans at home and abroad once he’s sworn into office on Friday.
Among Trump’s immediate challenges: the United States’ complicated relationship with Russia, crafting an affordable health care alternative that doesn’t strip coverage from millions of Americans, and growing questions about the legitimacy of his presidency.