thehill | Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Sunday that he thinks former CIA Director John Brennan's rhetoric is becoming an issue "in and of itself."
"John
and his rhetoric have become an issue in and of itself," Clapper said
on CNN's "State of the Union." "John is subtle like a freight train and
he’s gonna say what’s on his mind."
Clapper's comments came in response to an op-ed penned by Brennan in The New York Times this week, in which he wrote that President Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.
Clapper said he empathized with Brennan, but voiced concerns for Brennan's fiery rhetoric toward Trump and his administration.
"I think that the common denominator among all of us [in the
intelligence community] that have been speaking up … is genuine concern
about the jeopardy and threats to our institutions," Clapper said.
Brennan's claims drew criticism from some in the intelligence community who said the timing was suspect.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) on Thursday took aim at Brennan for "purport[ing] to know, as fact, that the Trump campaign colluded with a foreign power."
“If
his statement is based on intelligence he has seen since leaving
office, it constitutes an intelligence breach. If he has some other
personal knowledge of or evidence of collusion, it should be disclosed
to the special counsel, not The New York Times,” Burr said.
Burr
added that Trump has the “full authority” to rescind security
clearance if the statements were “purely political and based on
conjecture.”
