Former CIA Director John Brennan says it is possible the Russians ‘have something’ on the president, and he also believes the country’s future is in jeopardy as Trump ‘continues his antics.’
Former CIA Director John O. Brennan suggested that Trump was afraid of Russian President Vladimir Putin out of fear that the Russians have compromising information on him.
“I think he is afraid of the President of Russia,” Brennan said, referring to Trump in a Wednesday morning interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” co-anchor Willie Geist.
“Do you believe he is somehow in debt to the president of Russia?” Geist asked.
“I think he is afraid of the president of Russia,” Brennan answered.
Geist asked “why?”
“Well, I think one can speculate as to why,” Brennan said. “That the Russians may have something on him personally that they could always roll out and make his life more difficult.”
Brennan went on to explain that it was “clearly” important that the United States improve relations with Russia, “But the fact that [Trump] has had this fawning attitude toward Mr. Putin, has not said anything negative about him, I think continues to say to me that he does have something to fear and something very serious to fear.”
“Do you believe Russia has something on him?” Geist asked.
“I believe that the Russians would not–” Brennan starting to explain before hesitating.
“They would opt for things to do if they believe that it was in their interest and the Russians, I think, have had long experience with Mr. Trump and may have things that they could expose and reveal,” he continued.
“Something personal, perhaps?” Geist asked.
“Perhaps,” Brennan agreed.
Referring to his “Morning Joe” interview, The New York Times reported that:
Mr. Brennan was the C.I.A. director when a salacious dossier surfaced in 2016 that claimed the Russians had compromising information on Mr. Trump. There has been no proof that such material exists, but Mr. Trump’s affection for the Russian leader has raised questions about the nature of their relationship.
The New York Times also reported that this is not the first time Brennan has spoken out against Trump the last few days.
On Saturday, Mr. Brennan attacked Mr. Trump on Twitter after the president tweeted about his excitement over the firing of the deputy director of the F.B.I., Andrew G. McCabe.
“When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history,” Mr. Brennan wrote.
CNN added that:
Brennan criticized Trump’s phone call with Putin Tuesday in which he congratulated Putin on his re-election but did not raise Russian meddling in the 2016 election or Russia’s alleged role in a nerve agent attack against a former spy in the United Kingdom.
“To congratulate (Putin) and treat (Putin) so nicely while he treats Americans with such disdain, I think it just demonstrates he looks at the world through a prism of what is going to help and protect Donald Trump,” Brennan said of the President.
The entire interview is worth watching, but the portion cited above begins at about the 5-minute mark.
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