John Brennan slams Trump's 'un-American' rhetoric after pipe bomb scare at CNN, tells the president to 'stop blaming others'
- Former CIA Director John Brennan on Wednesday evening made his first remarks following a wave of pipe bomb scares that day, which included one addressed to him.
- Brennan condemned President Donald Trump's often inflammatory rhetoric toward his Democratic opponents and the media, calling his behavior "un-American."
- Though Trump condemned political violence on Wednesday and vowed to catch the perpetrator, on Thursday, he appeared to blame the media for heightened political tensions across the country.
Former CIA Director John Brennan spoke out Wednesday evening, hours after a pipe bomb addressed to him arrived at CNN's New York City office amid a wave of similar incidents at the homes and offices of top Democrats across the country.
Brennan told an audience in Austin, Texas, that President Donald Trump's constant invectives against the media and his political opponents may have "emboldened individuals to take matters into their own hands."
He added that Trump was right to speak out on Wednesday and condemn political violence, but he noted that Trump also recently praised a lawmaker who assaulted a reporter.
"What he said today is what the president should be doing, but [he should] follow up on those words with actions and with his future comments," Brennan said. "A lot of this rhetoric really is counterproductive. It is un-American. It is what a president should not be doing."
The bombs this week were sent to prominent Democrats and frequent targets of right-wing criticism, including former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, billionaire Democratic donor George Soros, Democratic Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Maxine Waters, and former Attorney General Eric Holder.
But Brennan's hope that the incidents might mark a "turning point" in Trump's rhetoric may have been quickly dashed on Thursday, after Trump appeared to blame the fraught political climate on the media.
"A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News," Trump tweeted Thursday morning. "It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!"
Brennan tweeted his own response, calling Trump's behavior "disgraceful."
"Stop blaming others. Look in the mirror. Your inflammatory rhetoric, insults, lies, & encouragement of physical violence are disgraceful," he said. "Clean up your act....try to act Presidential. The American people deserve much better. BTW, your critics will not be intimidated into silence."