Ex-CIA Head Says Trump’s Response To Charlottesville Has Done ‘Lasting Harm To American Society’

Responding to Donald Trump’s despicable response to the racially driven violence and hate in Charlottesville, Virginia, former CIA director John Brennan pulled no punches, saying the president is doing “lasting harm to American society.”

In a letter to CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, Brennan said called Trumps’s recent comments defending white supremacists “ugly and dangerous.”

The full letter:

Just watched your interview with Senator Blumenthal when you mentioned that you lost all four of your grandparents to the unspeakable evil of Nazism. I just want to extend my sympathies not only for their deaths but also to you and your family–and countless others–for the pain inflicted today by the despicable words of Donald Trump. Mr. Trump’s words, and the beliefs they reflect, are a national disgrace, and all Americans of conscience need to repudiate his ugly and dangerous comments. If allowed to continue along this senseless path, Mr. Trump will do lasting harm to American society and to our standing in the world. By his words and his actions, Mr. Trump is putting our national security and our collective futures at grave risk.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

The fact that a former CIA leader – a figure who likely wouldn’t engage in political arguments with a sitting president – is calling out Trump speaks volumes about the line this president has crossed over the past week.

It’s not just Democrats and independents now breaking with this president over his support of white supremacists and Nazis, but Republicans, the intelligence community, and members of the military have also had enough.

As Jason Easley wrote a short time ago, outlining the growing number of military leaders speaking out against racism, “Never have military leaders so openly disagreed with views put forward by a president.”

This week hasn’t just been a dark stain on Donald Trump’s presidency but also on American democracy, and everybody with a shred of decency is quickly distancing themselves from it.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.