A security expert warned that the confirmation of Trump’s new spy chief marks a “really alarming moment.”
During an appearance on CNN, Paul Rieckhoff said that the confirmation of Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence shows that Trump rewards loyalty above all else. Rieckhoff made the warning as CNN panelists spoke about Trump threatening upcoming elections and as Senate votes came in to confirm Clayton as the new head of America’s 18 intelligence agencies.
“Standards don’t matter. Competency doesn’t matter. Independence doesn’t matter. Loyalty matters,” Rieckhoff said. “This is a really alarming moment that we shouldn’t normalize.”
Rieckhoff noted that before former DNI Tulsi Gabbard departed, she opposed Trump’s actions like the war in Iran and removing its leader, but she was sent to Georgia to “attack elections on behalf of the FBI.” Rieckhoff spoke during the segment in which CNN anchor Erin Burnett noted that Trump has made multiple moves to threaten elections, with Rieckhoff noting that Trump seems to be “telegraphing his punches” ahead of the midterms.
“Now, we’ve got this guy who’s never served in the intelligence community and refuses to accept the elections,” Rieckhoff said. “I look at it through the prism of the hundreds of thousands of people in our intelligence community. We are at war with Iran, and Trump wants to attack more places.”
Clayton’s confirmation “really jeopardizes our national security,” Rieckhoff added. He worried that “we’re under constant threat in the homeland,” and Clayton’s “lack of basic competence” doesn’t help.
Rieckhoff added that Clayton’s confirmation “has our enemies celebrating.”
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