Former CIA director: ‘Erratic and unpredictable’ US policy threatens national security

Former CIA Director Michael Hayden in an interview published Saturday identified “erratic” behavior and policy on behalf of the Trump administration as a top threat to both national security and the security of other nations.

Hayden, who served as CIA director and in other senior intelligence roles during the George W. Bush administration, told Axios that “[w]e are, to put it simply, the most destabilizing force in the world today.”

{mosads}

He described the “erratic and unpredictable policy of the United States” as the greatest risk to global security, according to the news site.

Former acting CIA Director Michael Morell added in a separate interview with Axios that Republicans and Democrats’ inability to work together on bipartisan issues in Washington has also become a major threat.

“What has worried me for some time, even before the 2016 election, is the inability of our political leadership to resolve their differences and to come together and compromise in making decisions that advance our economy and society. Why is this my biggest worry? Because, at the end of the day, the most important determinant of a nation’s national security is the health of its economy and its society. Period. End of story,” he said.

Hayden has been one of President Trump’s harshest critics in the intelligence community, and earlier this year compared his administration’s controversial “zero tolerance” immigration policy to the policies of Nazi Germany.

“I know we’re not Nazi Germany, alright. But there is a commonality there, and a fear on my part … We have standards we have to live up to,” Hayden told CNN’s “New Day.”

Despite his past criticism, Hayden offered support for Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA following now-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s departure from the agency, writing in an op-ed for The Hill that Gina Haspel is “someone you want to be in the room when big decisions are made.”