Fascinating to listen to John Brennan on Rachel Maddow’s tonight — 5-17-18. Not once did he refer to Donald as “President;” rather, Brennan referred to him consistently as “Mr. Trump.”
Maddow’s questions were intelligent, pointed, respectful and illuminating.
Available on youtube, the full half hour interview is well worth watching. Some of the highlights follow.
On the times we live in:
If these were normal times, I would have expected [the security clearance review to go through normal procedures]. But these are not normal times. These are, quite frankly, very frightening times. So I didn’t expect any adherence to process.
His opinion of his fellow intelligence officers and Trump:
The other people on the so-called enemies list now, um, I think this is just another example of Mr. Trump trying to frighten and intimidate others. But I can tell you, having worked in the national security and intelligence community for many, many years, these are not the type of people who are going to be bullied or intimidated by someone of the likes of Mr. Trump.
A frank assessment of Trump:
It’s one thing to have policy differences or substantive differences with Presidents, and I have had them in the past with previous Presidents. What really gets under my skin is Mr. Trump’s lack of decency, integrity, honesty, and, um, his lack of commitment to this country’s well-being and security. Mr. Trump is motivated by whatever is in the best interest of Mr. Trump.
(Please, Mr. Brennan, stop sugar-coating it.)
His condemnation of Trump’s actions:
When I see what Mr. Trump is doing — basically trashing the reputation of this country world-wide — and the way he has treated Americans, fellow Americans, how he refers to them, the divisiveness, the incitement, the fueling of hatred and polarization — this is not what this country is about.
Calling it like it is regarding Trump’s denials of Russian involvement:
For the President of the United States to continue to prevaricate on this issue [the issue of Russian interference in our presidential election] I think does a great injustice and a disservice to the men and women of the intelligence and law enforcement community and does a great disservice to the citizens of the United States.
On Trump’s relationship to Putin:
I scratch my head a lot and I’m puzzled why Mr. Trump acts this way, with such obsequiousness to Mr. Putin — I don’t, I don’t know, and I’m not going to try to pretend that I know, but there is something that is very disconcerting, very worrisome about how an individual who occupies the Oval Office interacts with Mr. Putin.
Another frank assessment of Trump, his enablers, and the threat that poses all of us:
He’s drunk on power, he really is, and I think he’s abusing the powers of that office. I think right now this country is in a crisis in terms of what Mr. Trump has done and is liable to do, and so, are the Republicans on the Hill who [have] given him a pass — are they going to wait for a disaster to happen before they actually find their backbones and spines to speak up against someone who is clearly, clearly not carrying out his responsibilities with any sense of purpose and common sense from the standpoint of national security.
More on his enablers:
When are the members of Congress and the Republican Party going to say: “Enough is enough. This country is more important than Mr. Trump; this country is more important than party affiliation.” I’m waiting for it. I’m hoping for it, and I truly hope it’s going to happen sooner rather than later.
A final assessment of Russia’s continuing interference:
Russian efforts to influence American politics . . . did not stop with Election Day in November. They continued throughout the course of those months between Election Day and Inauguration Day in order to do whatever they could to insure that whatever happened in American politics in 2017, 2018 and beyond was going to be as favorable to them as possible.