Trump attacks CIA boss Brennan as rift with intelligence agencies deepens
US President-elect Donald Trump has taken aim at intelligence agencies in the country once again, criticising Central Intelligence Agency boss John Brennan and questioning whether he was involved in leaking documents to the press.
In a Twitter rant on Sunday night after Brennan's appearance on Fox News, in which he defended the CIA's actions and urged the incoming president to build a good relationship with his intelligence teams.
In the opening weeks of January, some media outlets published an unverified report from a former British intelligence official that concluded that Trump was in cahoots with Russia during his successful run to the White House.
"@FoxNews '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?" Trump wrote.
Brennan had earlier questioned the President-elect's comments comparing the leaked documents to something akin to "Nazi Germany", referring to the comparison as "outrageous".
"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.
"If he doesn't have confidence in the intelligence community, what signal does that send to our partners and allies, as well as our adversaries?" he asked.
Trump's inauguration takes place on Friday and all eyes will be on Washington as he becomes the 45th president of the United States, with financial markets likely to react if and when his campaign promises come to fruition.
.@FoxNews "Outgoing CIA Chief, John Brennan, blasts Pres-Elect Trump on Russia threat. Does not fully understand." Oh really, couldn't do...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2017
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?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2017