President Donald Trump took to Twitter Wednesday morning accusing the intelligence community of illegally leaking sensitive information regarding his administration’s ties to Russia, and jumping on the opportunity to skewer former challenger Hillary Clinton. Trump, whose young presidency is already mired in scandal after the resignation of national security advisor Michael Flynn over his conversations with Russia regarding easing sanctions, sent a barrage of tweets early Wednesday calling that and other intel leaks “fake news” and “conspiracy theories.” “The fake news media is going crazy with their conspiracy theories and blind hatred,” Trump wrote in his first tweet of the morning, calling CNN and MSNBC “unwatchable” while praising Fox News’ morning program “Fox and Friends.” He continued: “The Russian connection non-sense is merely an attempt to cover-up the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton’s losing campaign.”
The flurry went on, with the president lambasting security agencies for illegally leaking information to “fake news” sources and saying the FBI and CIA shouldn’t interfere with politics.
The fake news media is going crazy with their conspiracy theories and blind hatred. @MSNBC & @CNN are unwatchable. @foxandfriends is great!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017
This Russian connection non-sense is merely an attempt to cover-up the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton’s losing campaign.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017
Information is being illegally given to the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost by the intelligence community (NSA and FBI?).Just like Russia
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017
Thank you to Eli Lake of The Bloomberg View – “The NSA & FBI…should not interfere in our politics…and is” Very serious situation for USA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017
Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017
The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by “intelligence” like candy. Very un-American!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017
Intelligence leaks culminated in Flynn’s resignation Monday night, after the Washington Post reported the retired Army lieutenant general had discussed sanctions with an ambassador from Russia before Trump’s inauguration, and denied the conversations to Vice President Mike Pence.The New York Times also alleged connections between several members of Trump’s campaign and Russian intelligence agents. Flynn is the third person tied to the president to lose his job over ties to the Kremlin, joining former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former foreign policy advisor Carter Page.
But while Trump has remained a vocal critic of U.S. intelligence agencies, the president has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and has refused to impose sanctions against Russia for its reported email hack against members of the Democratic National Committee.
