Ex-CIA director John Brennan told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace on Thursday that the intelligence community may withhold “sensitive” intelligence information from former President Trump even if he becomes the GOP presidential nominee later this year.
The MSNBC senior national security and intelligence analyst, expressed his belief that Trump will be briefed on some national security information – according to the 72-year tradition of sitting administrations tapping U.S. intelligence officials to brief the presidential candidates of major political parties – however, he will not get highly sensitive information.
He mentioned Trump’s indictment for mishandling classified information, suggesting that Trump might abuse such classified information if he was privy to it.
Brennan’s assessment came in response to Wallace bringing up a new Politico article detailing how U.S. intelligence officials are planning to brief Trump but have reservations due to “his handling of classified information.”
The piece stated, the “normally humdrum decision was fraught with unusual risk this year due to the pending court case and Trump’s historically cavalier attitude toward national security information.”
Brennan told Wallace, “It’s somewhat surreal that an individual who is under indictment for mishandling classified information is going to be getting classified intelligence briefings.”
He acknowledged that it is “tradition” for sitting presidents to offer these briefings, and thus “it makes sense” for Biden to do so. However, the former CIA boss hinted that intelligence leaders will not be giving particularly sensitive information that Trump could abuse.
“Now, I’m pretty certain that my former intelligence colleagues will provide briefings that are not going to do any type of damage to sources and methods in terms of providing information to Donald Trump that he could misuse.”
🚨Unreal! Former CIA Director John Brennan tells MSNBC that the intel community will withhold key information from Trump after he accepts the Republican nomination this summer. We need to bring the IC to heel. This has Russia Hoax 2.0 written all over it. pic.twitter.com/z5aMWv0kQj
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 7, 2024
