CIA director warns Trump to watch what he says, be careful on Russia

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CIA director warns Trump to watch what he says, be careful on Russia

By Doina Chiacu

REUTERS

 

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan participates in a session at the third annual Intelligence and National Security Summit in Washington, DC, U.S. on September 8, 2016. To match Special Report USA-CIA-BRENNAN/ REUTERS/Gary Cameron/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - CIA Director John Brennan on Sunday offered a stern parting message for Donald Trump days before the Republican U.S. president-elect takes office, cautioning him against loosening sanctions on Russia and warning him to watch what he says.

 

Brennan rebuked Trump for comparing U.S. intelligence agencies to Nazi Germany in comments by the outgoing CIA chief that reflected the extraordinary friction between the incoming president and the 17 intelligence agencies he will begin to command once he takes office on Friday.

 

In an interview with "Fox News Sunday," Brennan questioned the message sent to the world if the president-elect broadcasts that he does not have confidence in the United States' own intelligence agencies.

 

"What I do find outrageous is equating the intelligence community with Nazi Germany. I do take great umbrage at that, and there is no basis for Mr. Trump to point fingers at the intelligence community for leaking information that was already available publicly," Brennan said.

 

Brennan's criticism followed a tumultuous week of finger-pointing between Trump and intelligence agency leaders over an unsubstantiated report that Russia had collected compromising information about Trump.

 

The unverified dossier was summarized in a U.S. intelligence report presented to Trump and outgoing President Barack Obama this month that concluded Russia tried to sway the outcome of the Nov. 8 election in Trump's favor by hacking and other means. The report did not make an assessment on whether Russia's attempts affected the election's outcome.

 

Trump accused the intelligence community of leaking the dossier information, which its leaders denied. They said it was their responsibility to inform the president-elect that the allegations were being circulated.

 

Later on Sunday, Trump took to Twitter again to berate "those intelligence chiefs" for presenting the dossier as part of their briefing. "When people make mistakes, they should APOLOGIZE," he wrote.

 

Brennan also sounded an alarm on U.S. relations with Russia. Trump has vowed to improve relations with Moscow even as he faces criticism that he is too eager to make an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

Trump does not yet have a full understanding of Russia's actions, Brennan said, noting its seizure of Crimea from Ukraine, its support for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war and Moscow's aggressive activities in the cyber realm.

 

"Mr. Trump has to understand that absolving Russia of various actions it has taken in the past number of years is a road that he, I think, needs to be very, very careful about moving down," Brennan said.

 

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Friday, Trump suggested he might do away with sanctions imposed by the Obama administration on Russia in late December in response to the cyber attacks if Moscow proves helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other U.S. goals.

 

PROFOUND IMPLICATIONS

 

Brennan also said Trump needs to be mindful about his off-the-cuff remarks once he assumes the presidency, alluding to Trump's penchant for making broad pronouncements on Twitter.

 

"Spontaneity is not something that protects national security interests," Brennan said. "So therefore when he speaks or when he reacts, just make sure he understands that the implications and impact on the United States could be profound."

 

"It's more than just about Mr. Trump. It's about the United States of America," Brennan said.

 

Trump has picked Mike Pompeo, a Republican member of the House of Representatives and a former U.S. Army officer, to replace Brennan.

 

Trump's comments about Putin and his reluctance to assign blame to Moscow for the hacking of Democratic political groups has opened him up to criticism that he will be too soft on Russia.

 

For months, Trump had publicly expressed doubt about U.S. intelligence conclusions on the cyber attacks before acknowledging at a news conference on Wednesday that he thought Russia was behind the hacking.

 

Vice President-elect Mike Pence told "Fox News Sunday,""What the president-elect is determined to do is to explore the possibility of better relations."

 

Pence did not say whether Trump would undo some of the sanctions and diplomatic expulsions Obama had slapped on Moscow.

Pence confirmed that Trump's incoming national security adviser, Michael Flynn, held conversations with the Russian ambassador to Washington around the time the sanctions were imposed, but said the talks "were not in any way related to the new U.S. sanctions against Russia or the expulsion of diplomats."

 

However, Pence denied that Trump's team had any contact with Russian officials during the presidential campaign. "Of course not," he told Fox.

 

Leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee said on Friday they will investigate alleged Russian attempts to influence the election and links between Russia and the political campaigns.

 

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Will Dunham)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-01-16

[mike324]

Trump really has no clue about foreign policies, and is massively unfit to take over the presidency. Yes he is indeed looking at running the country like how he runs his company, which will be a major failure and tensions will increase with other nations. You can't simply just negotiate over pass actions, its really not as simple as Trump thinks.

[Credo]

This man is going to start World War III with his mouth only.   He's going to piss off China, he's going to piss off most of Europe.   He's insulting Merkel.   

 

What a disaster the man is.   I shudder to think what will happen when he actually is in office.   

[kevkev1888]

1 hour ago, Credo said:

This man is going to start World War III with his mouth only.   He's going to piss off China, he's going to piss off most of Europe.   He's insulting Merkel.   

 

What a disaster the man is.   I shudder to think what will happen when he actually is in office.   

 

Insulting Merkel. Oh no. How terrible!

[maewang99]

maybe he gets what he promised... a more competitive US dollar against Asian currencies.  all that has to happen is for foreign central banks to stop buying and holding US Treasuries.... and/or switch to local currencies for settling trade. 

maybe we might even use local currencies for intra ASEAN trade.  wow. 

maybe even a normalized Thai Baht... post Tum Yung Gung???? in the teens against the dollah. then Trump wins on "jobs job jobs" all over the place. answer as always for fixed pensioners: be hedged. 

[jcsmith]

1 hour ago, kevkev1888 said:

 

Insulting Merkel. Oh no. How terrible!

The problem I think is that he makes these rants or decisions without considering the implications of them. For example the Taiwan call, he didn't intentionally mean to escalate things with China based on that. But once they responded he did what he always does, he attacked. Which further escalated tensions. I think when he makes some of these Tweets he's doing so based on emotion and that isn't a good thing when it comes to world diplomacy.

 

Great example here, these are Trump's last tweets today aimed at the CIA Director who just questioned him...

 

"Outgoing CIA Chief, John Brennan, blasts Pres-Elect Trump on Russia threat. Does not fully understand." Oh really, couldn't do much worse - just look at Syria (red line), Crimea, Ukraine and the build-up of Russian nukes. Not good! Was this the leaker of Fake News?

 

So he just accused the head of the CIA of leaking the report... again! Nevermind that the report posted by Buzzfeed was not the report they gave him, and that the version that was posted has been circulating for months. Then he points out three travesties committed by Russia, and adds the build up of nukes which is pointless since there are enough to destroy the world many times over already... Those are the reasons that sanctions are in place, not to mention their recent hacking. Yet Trump wants to lift those very sanctions and say it's okay. His cabinet has numerous people who have pressed to lift these sanctions, and who not coincidentally would benefit financially if it happens. 

So once again you have the incoming president questioning his own intelligence community because someone called his decision making into question. He doesn't seem to understand that this type of tweet is exactly what the criticism of him is about in the first place.

 

[Opl]

"CIA director warns Trump to watch what he says, be careful on Russia " = back  to basics for any OJL POTUS

[CharlieK]

At least he is not pussyfooting around. 

 

For example look at brexit, we still hear the usual political speak and diplomacy by politicians, it takes ages to get anything done and when it is, it turns out a disaster.  Look at the EU Look at Obamacare!

 

It is refreshing to hear someone say what they think for a change.  And what he says about Germany and Merkel is true. Even Merkel knows that!

 

 

[stevenl]

9 minutes ago, CharlieK said:

At least he is not pussyfooting around. 

 

For example look at brexit, we still hear the usual political speak and diplomacy by politicians, it takes ages to get anything done and when it is, it turns out a disaster.  Look at the EU Look at Obamacare!

 

It is refreshing to hear someone say what they think for a change.  And what he says about Germany and Merkel is true. Even Merkel knows that!

 

 

And when he meets Merkel he will be saying something completely different again.

 

Maybe he really says what he thinks, but with his thoughts running in all directions, and one day thinking the opposite of the previous day, maybe he should streamline his thinking process a bit.

[jcsmith]

6 minutes ago, CharlieK said:

It is refreshing to hear someone say what they think for a change.  And what he says about Germany and Merkel is true. Even Merkel knows that!

 

Except for the fact that the things that Trump says are all too often offensive. And everything that he says is going to be taken as a reflection of the United States opinion on the matter. If anyone tells Trump what they think and it is not positive towards him he's going to hit back with a vengeance. If the other people he insults strike back you have a quick escalation where there was no reason to be one in the first place. Most world leaders though are smart enough to not take that bait, but that doesn't mean that his attacks won't influence their opinions or policies towards him or the country that he represents. 

 

Basically if you want to speak your mind, your in your right to. But if you go around insulting people in public your going to insult the wrong person and take a beating. Trump's attacks are backed by the worlds most powerful military. It's a bully tactic.

[uptheos]

The man has been insulted, mocked and vilified for about 18 months, yet during that time he saw off 16 tough opponents, a few were very experienced. then he fought the biggest battle of all against lying Hillary, with a her millions of backing and superstar adoration. It was supposed to be a walk in the park, but Trump got out almost every day doing 2-3 rally's a day and going to areas that the dems couldn't care less about......AND HE WON!!

Now he's the president of the USA, with a glamorous wife and Obama will have no legacy by the time he's finished. Come on Mr president make America great again and thank you for putting Winston Churchill's bust back in the oval office and removed the other one

[CharlieK]

35 minutes ago, jcsmith said:

xcept for the fact that the things that Trump says are all too often offensive. And everything that he says is going to be taken as a reflection of the United States opinion on the matter

 

You can blame the American voting system for that. 

[jcsmith]

33 minutes ago, uptheos said:

The man has been insulted, mocked and vilified for about 18 months.

 

He's also done more insulting, mocking, and vilification than anyone else has over those 18 months. 

[Emster23]

So sad that head of CIA has to tell Trump what he should have learned as a young  boy: Think about what you are going to say before you say it. Dealing with a man-child here

[IAMHERE]

'Sanctions'    sure, they worked wonders on Cuba and North Korea. Sanctions are a joke, especially sanctions that are designed to 'punish' the rich and powerful in Russia. Ain't gonna work.

[chilli42]

Well if he is going to mess with China he best have Russia on side.  Sad to say but do you think for a second the American public cares about the Ukraine or Syria?

[chiang mai]

6 hours ago, Credo said:

This man is going to start World War III with his mouth only.   He's going to piss off China, he's going to piss off most of Europe.   He's insulting Merkel.   

 

What a disaster the man is.   I shudder to think what will happen when he actually is in office.   

 

Best guess is he'll go the J F K route and not before too long, he's too much too quickly.

[A1Str8]

Oh look. One of the biggest criminal organizations on the planet, the cia is all worried that all its efforts to hide their crimes is proving to be useless. 

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

Ain't gonna work.

Not according to Putin.

" Vladimir Putin admits it. Western sanctions have taken a toll on Russia."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2016/10/21/putin-admits-sanctions-sapping-russia/#551bf79719fd

 

[Morch]

5 hours ago, uptheos said:

 

That fat little blob is crying out to be insulted. her open door policy could be the ruin of Europe. I'm quite looking forward to when he's in office, then we will see if he's all talk or not.........let the games begin.

 

Other than satisfying the base wishes of his voter base (and their international counterparts) - what would be gained by insulting world leaders?

[dunroaming]

Like most petulant children Trump gets riled when warned not to do or say something.  I expect the more the CIA warn him the more he will bluster and blurt out his rubbish..

[elgordo38]

5 hours ago, stevenl said:

And when he meets Merkel he will be saying something completely different again.

 

Maybe he really says what he thinks, but with his thoughts running in all directions, and one day thinking the opposite of the previous day, maybe he should streamline his thinking process a bit.

He does not have enough time in office left to met Merkel thus the scathing report its a goodbye so long its been good to know you comment. 

[maximillian]

7 hours ago, kevkev1888 said:

 

Insulting Merkel. Oh no. How terrible!

 

Can't insult Teflon-Merkel.

[elliss]

13 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

Ask JFK what screwing with the CIA gets you.

 

 Maybe , CIA  will  be  made redundant  ,  DT was  voted into office  , democratically .

   Proud to be  American . 

[jcsmith]

55 minutes ago, elliss said:

 

 Maybe , CIA  will  be  made redundant  ,  DT was  voted into office  , democratically .

   Proud to be  American . 

 

And replaced with what? Is Mike Flynn going to be handling intelligence? He and the Donald read some made up news and it leads the country to war? They've both retweeted completely made up stuff multiple times.

[puukao]

You don't tell your boss what to do...

 

You may want to...we all want to....but you don't.

 

especially in a patronizing way...

 

 

[iReason]

Just now, elliss said:

 Maybe , CIA  will  be  made redundant  ,  DT was  voted into office  , democratically .

 Proud to be  American . 

 

Uh huh... 

 

"In the aftermath of the failed C.I.A.-led invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, John F. Kennedy angrily told his top aides that

he wanted to “splinter the C.I.A. into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds.”

 

"For a brief period, the president considered a State Department recommendation to strip the agency of its covert functions,

reorganize and even rename it."

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/12/21/do-we-need-the-cia/end-cia-covert-operations

[Ulysses G.]

3 hours ago, Morch said:

 

Other than satisfying the base wishes of his voter base (and their international counterparts) - what would be gained by insulting world leaders?

 

Helping to put them on the spot and change their behavior - Merkel in particular.

[Scott]

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[stevenl]

And now, as was to be expected, trump has gone on the attack.

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