The former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, told CNN that he agrees with President Joe Biden's decision to cut off his predecessor from classified information, accusing President Donald Trump of weaponizing intelligence.
"[Trump has] demonstrated a disdain for both the substance of intelligence as well as its protection," Clapper insisted on Monday. "He's used it on occasion and weaponized it against political opponents."
Clapper asserted that "it is absolutely" the right choice to limit Trump's access to intelligence briefings, pointing to the September 2019 incident in which Trump tweeted out an image that pertained to Iran's Imam Khomeini Space Center.
"Another example I can think of is use of overhead reconnaissance satellite imagery to taunt the Iranians about a mishap they have in their space or rocket program," Clapper added.
The CNN national security analyst has proclaimed to the intelligence community and Congress for years that Russia "turned" the 2016 election in Trump's favor and that won't be the Kremlin's last interference. He regurgitated claims that Trump allowed the Russians to infiltrate multiple federal agencies and the Oval Office during his White House tenure.
Clapper said that Trump's alleged financial issues, including foreign debts and purported criminal probes, leave the former president vulnerable to mishandling intelligence with or without his direct knowledge.
"Plus there is potential financial entanglements, there is debt, which to a normal person would be a real red flag for an a judicator or somebody deciding on whether someone should have access to classified information. So for all those reasons, I think this is absolutely the right decision," Clapper declared.
Biden had told CBS Evening News last week that Trump's "erratic behavior unrelated to the insurrection" alone was enough reason to police his clearance.
When asked if he believes Trump should receive intelligence briefings upon request, the Democrat replied, "I think not."
"I'd rather not speculate out loud," Biden said Friday. "I just think that there is no need for him to have the...intelligence briefings. What value is giving him an intelligence briefing? What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?"
In May 2020, House Intelligence Committee transcripts revealed how several top Obama-era officials painted the Trump-Russia investigation under oath compared to the loaded allegations they committed over years in public statements.
The staunch Trump critic told the committee during an interview in July 2017 that he "never saw any direct empirical evidence that the Trump campaign or someone in it was plotting [or] conspiring with the Russians to meddle with the election."
"That's not to say that there weren’t concerns about the evidence we were seeing, anecdotal evidence," Clapper continued, "But I do not recall any instance when I had direct evidence of the content of these meetings. It's just the frequency and prevalence of them was of concern."
In response, Trump accused Clapper of being in cahoots with CNN. "I understand Clapper, he gets a couple of bucks from CNN and [company President] Jeff Zucker and that den of thieves over there, they tell him at CNN and MSDNC, they tell him exactly what to say," he railed against the former spy chief on "Fox and Friends."
Join and support independent free thinkers!
We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.
Remind me next month
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy