A group of guests on CNN on Monday discussed how shocked and dismayed they are by Donald Trump’s strange deference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The panel discussed in detail former deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe’s bombshell revelation that Trump trusts Putin more than his own intelligence agencies.
“Intelligence officials in the briefing responded that that was not consistent with any of the intelligence our government possesses, to which the President replied, ‘I don’t care. I believe Putin,'” McCabe said.”
"Intelligence officials in the briefing responded that that was not consistent with any of the intelligence our government possesses, to which the President replied, 'I don't care. I believe Putin,'" McCabe said.https://t.co/S2BP7nT8Uc
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) February 18, 2019
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
During the group discussion, former Republican congressman Mike Rogers said it was disturbing how willing the president was to take the word of a top international rival.
“That’s very, very concerning to me,” he said. “These are his intelligence folks who are culling lots of points of collection, meaning human and electronic and digital, every form of [intelligence]… they take all of that information and then they come up with a policy or at least a proposal or at least an understanding of what’s going on in the world. The president needs to have faith and trust in that information.”
Legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, meanwhile, suggested there was something darker going on with the president’s often subservient attitude toward his Russian counterpart.
“This is not just any leader,” Toobin said, referencing Putin. “This is Vladimir Putin, who he was trying to do business with, who was helping him win the election. I mean, there is something bizarre and perhaps sinister about the president’s relationship with Russia.“
The entire political world seems to still be shocked this morning by the revelations made by McCabe on 60 Minutes last night.
At one point, McCabe described how concerned they were when Trump said he believed Putin’s word over the information he received from the U.S. intelligence community. This shows that the FBI and the Justice Department — as well as the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies — have been very aware of the president’s unusual and potentially dangerous relationship with Putin.
McCabe also explained why they felt compelled to open an intelligence investigation into Trump, believing he might be working as a Russian spy.
Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein "was absolutely serious" when he "offered to wear a wire into the White House" https://t.co/WdDjcUhpYD pic.twitter.com/N8lp9m95yT
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 18, 2019
Last week we reported that Democrats in the House will soon launch a “vast” and comprehensive series of investigations into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia.
We also reported that chairmen of several powerful committees in the House are preparing to force Trump to disclose the details of his secret talks with Putin, which have caused great concern.
Earlier this month we reported that the U.S. intelligence community is worried that Trump is sharing classified secrets with Putin, which could be considered both espionage and treason.
This morning Trump went into a rage on Twitter, accusing both McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein of “treasonous” behavior. As usual, he is projecting his own behavior onto others. Trump is the “treasonous” player in this drama, and the others are merely doing their jobs of protecting America from his “bizarre” and “sinister” behavior.
Hopefully they will be successful and Trump will be removed from office before he does further irreversible damage to our country.
CLICK HERE to watch the entire panel discussion on CNN.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
