‘Make Russia great again’: former US spy officials take aim at President Donald Trump over response to election meddling
Both Clapper and Brennan expressed their annoyance at Trump’s negative statements about the intelligence agencies’ assessments of Russia and the presidential election
Two former top intelligence officials harshly criticised President Donald Trump on Friday for not standing up to Russia for meddling in the presidential election, one of them wondering aloud whether the president’s real aim is to make “Russia great again”.
Former national intelligence director James Clapper and former CIA director John Brennan didn’t hold back their anger about Trump’s past disparaging comments about the intelligence agencies and their assessment that Moscow deliberately interfered in the election and tried to sow discord in the United States.
Asked if he thinks Trump takes the threat from Russia seriously enough, Clapper said he wonders sometimes if the White House agenda is about “making Russia great again”. The comment played off Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again”.
In a wide-ranging discussion at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, Clapper and Brennan said that Trump advisers should have been more wary of meeting with a Russian lawyer and others.
The Russians operate in a very cunning manner and they will take and exploit any opportunity they get
In June, in the heat of the campaign, the president’s son, his campaign manager and his son-in-law met a group at Trump Tower in New York that included a Russian lawyer and Russian lobbyist. Emails about the meeting showed that Donald Trump Jnr, attended on the premise of obtaining damaging material the Russian government had on Hillary Clinton.