Priebus on Trump’s CIA meeting: ‘It was a love fest’
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on Sunday defended President Donald Trump’s relationship with the intelligence community, saying a meeting on Saturday at CIA headquarters was a “love fest.”
“I was there yesterday. I’m telling you it was a love fest if you were in the room,” Priebus said on “Fox News Sunday.”
“These are men and women that President Trump loves and respects.”
Priebus said Trump met with members of the intelligence community on the day after he took office because he doesn’t want them to believe media reports that he doesn’t respect them.
{mosads}Before he assumed office, Trump had attacked members of the intelligence community and appeared to accuse them of leaking an unverified dossier alleging Russia had compromising information on Trump.
He then compared the actions of the intelligence community to those that would have been taken in Nazi Germany.
Priebus said Sunday it is not known who leaked the document.
“Someone leaked the document. And you don’t know if it wasn’t someone in the intelligence community,” Priebus said.
“The point is this: One bad actor in the intelligence community doesn’t taint President Trump’s view of the entire intelligence community.”
Priebus also blasted former CIA Director John Brennan for his criticisms of Trump.
“I think that John Brennan has a lot of things that he should answer for in regard to these leaked documents,” Priebus said.
“I find the whole thing despicable. I think that it’s unprofessional … I don’t know what’s in his head.”
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