Former CIA director asks what Trump is 'hiding' by meeting with Putin alone
- John Brennan, the former director of the CIA, on Monday asked what President Donald Trump was "hiding" by meeting alone with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland.
- Brennan said Trump has a "total lack of credibility."
- Trump was also widely criticized on Monday for a tweet he sent before meeting with Putin in which he said the poor state of US-Russia relations was due to US "foolishness."
John Brennan, the former director of the CIA, on Monday asked what President Donald Trump was "hiding" by meeting alone with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland.
Trump sat with Putin alone with only translators for roughly two hours on Monday. This was reportedly the first time in history a US and Russian president have met alone.
Brennan, among other critics, felt this was inappropriate and slammed Trump for doing so.
The former CIA director tweeted: "Why did Trump meet 1 on 1 with Putin? What might he be hiding from Bolton, Pompeo, Kelly, & the American public? How will Putin use whatever Trump could be hiding to advantage Russia & hurt America? Trump's total lack of credibility renders spurious whatever explanation he gives."
Trump was also widely criticized on Monday for a tweet he sent before meeting with Putin in which he said the poor state of US-Russia relations was due to US "foolishness."
The Russian foreign ministry seemingly approved of this tweet, responding to it by stating, "We agree."
After their private meeting, Trump and Putin held a joint press conference. Trump said his meeting with Putin went "very well," adding that he and the Russian leader discussed the "disagreements" between the US and Russia "at length," including the subject of election interference.
The president also spoke of the importance of diplomacy and the need to maintain "strong dialogue" with Russia.
Putin claimed Russia did not interfere in the US presidential election, contradicting conclusions made by US intelligence agencies. This comes just several days after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced that 12 Russian intelligence officers were being indicted for election interference as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe.