At the SALT conference in Las Vegas, former CIA Director John Brennan stuck up for Donald Trump on the leak situation, according toย YAHOO. He had some harsh criticisms for the leakers and the media.
โWhat I have found appalling is the number of leaks that have taken place over the last several months,โ former CIA Director John Brennan said.
โThis needs to be stopped.โ
He did say Trump made a “serious mistake”, not in sharing intelligence, but in violating the protocol. Turns out Brennan has done it too.
โI shared intelligence with the Russians when I was the director of the CIA,โ Brennan said. โBut you share that through intelligence channels, and you make sure you word it in such as way as to not reveal sources and methods. President Trump didnโt do that.โ
There is some faulty reasoning here. Brennan’s assuming that the accusations Trump shared intelligence are true although all the participants in the meeting said it isn’t.
Brennan said the press coverage of Trumpโs impromptu intelligence reveal was โhyperbolicโ and possibly more damaging than anything Trump revealed.
โThe damage that was done is what was leaked in the aftermath, what was put in the media. The real damage to national security is the leaks.โ
He suggested the news accounts revealed more sensitive information than Trump did.
โThe real damage to national security is the leaks,โ Brennan said. โThese individuals who still stay within the government and are leaking this stuff to the press need to be brought to task.โ
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