In an interview on "Meet the Press" Sunday, the former director of the CIA refused to back down from accusations of treason made against President Donald Trump.
John Brennan told NBC anchor Chuck Todd that "these are abnormal times" and suggested it was his duty to speak out. A rather outspoken critic of the president, Brennan saw his security clearance revoked this week because of his public recriminations against the Trump administration.
Todd asked Brennan if he regretted any of his verbal attacks on Trump.
“Well I called his behavior treasonous, which is to betray one’s trust, and to aid and abet the enemy, and I stand very much by that claim,” Brennan answered.
“I think these are abnormal times and I think a lot of people have spoken out against what Mr. Trump has done” Brennan later said. “I think I need to speak out. And so I’ve been speaking out rather forcefully because I believe it’s important to do so. I don’t believe I’m being political at all. I’m not a republican, I’m not a democrat.”
While Brennan was comfortable using the word "treasonous" to describe Trump's behavior, he was not willing to say whether the president's actions amounted to treason under the Constitution.
“I think all Americans need to wait for Robert Mueller to be able to finalize his investigation and to determine whether or not there was any criminal activity that was taking place there,” he said. “But I have spoken out against Mr. Trump’s lack of decency, civility, honesty, and character, and I will continue to do that.”
Watch the full interview between Brennan and Todd below:
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