[The Hill] Former CIA acting director Michael Morell said President-elect Donald Trump’s rhetoric will undermine the agency by causing a "wave of resignations" and affecting its ability to work with foreign intelligence services.| Similar to the tsunami of recent Comey related resignations at the FBI no doubt. |
| Is his comment a threat or a promise? |
"The primary motivator for some of our smartest minds to go to work at the C.I.A. is to make a difference to national security, to play a role in keeping the country safe. All of the sacrifices -- from the long hours, polygraph tests, unfair media criticism, not to mention the real dangers to life and limb -- are worth it, if you are making a difference."
Morell’s latest criticism of the president-elect comes as the intelligence community issued a declassified report that found Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign to help Trump win the presidency.
Morell said Trump’s rejection of the CIA’s assessment about Russia’s interference is "an unprecedented political challenge for our national security establishment" and "a danger to the nation."
While Morell called Trump’s Friday intelligence briefing "a step in the right direction," he also said "his disparagement of American intelligence officers over the last few months is likely to cause significant damage to the CIA."
Trump’s comments will make it difficult for the agency to work with other foreign intelligence services and develop foreign assets, Morell explained.