No, they were not, they were spying on -- a term I don't particularly like -- but on what the Russians were doing. Trying to understand were the Russians infiltrating, trying to gain access, trying to gain leverage or influence which is what they do.

James Clapper

Categorized in : Politics

I've come around to the position some months ago that perhaps as at least an initial plateau, in the interest of getting something done, it might be worth considering capping what North Korea have now and then maybe on a much longer term basis trying, you know, to get them to reduce their nuclear holdings to zero, which I think is going to be very difficult.

I wish people paid more attention to Volume I [of the Mueller rep... by James Clapper

I wish people paid more attention to Volume I [of the Mueller report].

My read of the Mueller report is that there's a road map laid out there if the Congress chooses to follow it, i think the decision is whether to do that in the face of Republican resistance or opposition in the Senate, which is where a conviction has to happen, or let this play out through the 2020 election.

Collusion and obstruction aside, the big deal to me is the magnit... by James Clapper

Collusion and obstruction aside, the big deal to me is the magnitude of the Russian interference.

No one can say( the Russians) didn't interfere, and, in fact, I t... by James Clapper

No one can say( the Russians) didn't interfere, and, in fact, I think taint the election.

I thought it was both stunning and scary, i was amazed at that and rather disappointed that the attorney general would say such a thing. The term' spying' has all kinds of negative connotations and I have to believe he chose that term deliberately.

The first objective of The Russians was to sow doubt, discord and discontent in this country, and they've succeeded to it fairly well -- capitalizing and exploiting the polarization and divisiveness in this country, secondarily, of course, was to do all they could to damage Hillary Clinton's candidacy and to help, when he became serious as Donald Trump, Donald Trump.

Bill McRaven's a national hero, bill McRaven performance in orchestrating the actual attack was masterful, and I think the country owes Bill McRaven a great debt for Bill McRaven leadership and Bill McRaven lifetime of service.

What this really is is misplaced criticism of Bill McRaven. by James Clapper

What this really is is misplaced criticism of Bill McRaven.

I do want to just echo one thing that( former CIA Director) John Brennan said and that this is not going to silence the administration's critics.

I think it would have been a lot more appropriate, a lot more sincere, had he actually named the targets and said something reassuring to them.

I do want to just echo one thing that John Brennan said and that this is not going to silence the administration's critics.

I think it is, i think John is sort of like a freight train, and he's going to say what's on his mind. I think, though, that the common denominator among all of us that have been speaking up, though, is a genuine concern about the jeopardy or threats to our institutions and values, and although we may express that in different ways. And I think that's what this really is about. But John and his rhetoric, I think, have become an issue in and of itself.

I think it is, i think John Brennan is sort of like a freight train, and John Brennan's going to say what's on John Brennan mind. I think, though, that the common denominator among all of us that have been speaking up, though, is a genuine concern about the jeopardy or threats to our institutions and values, and although we may express that in different ways. And I think that's what this really is about. But John Brennan and John Brennan rhetoric, I think, have become an issue in and of itself.

I find it very disturbing that here we were in compliance with a request of the then-President of the United States to put into one document our insight and knowledge of the profound threat that Russia posed to this country, and now, apparently, we're being punished for this. John( Brennan) already has been.

It is an enemies list to get at people that have been critical or who have taken actions that, you know, he didn't like. That to me is a pretty chilling message.

There is a very chilling message here to people in the intelligence community. If you tee up intelligence that the President doesn't like, you may risk losing your clearance and thereby your job.

Will the republic stand or fall on whether John( John Brennan) retains his access to classified information ? Of course not. The larger issue here, to me, throughout has been infringement on First Amendment rights and I think people ought to think seriously about that.

I think that history is replete with examples of where there have been, shall I say, communication gaps between the White House and Pentagon.

It's a particularly acute issue here with President Donald Trump, who I think as more time has elapsed in his tenure, feels more and more confident that, you know, he doesn't really need any advice from anybody and he's smarter than everybody else.