(CNN) — Former CIA Director John Brennan is “deeply saddened and angered” at President Donald Trump after the commander in chief addressed CIA employees at their headquarters in Langley, Virginia, on Saturday, Jan. 21, Brennan’s former deputy chief of staff says.
Trump spent much of his speech — which was in front of a memorial wall for the more than 100 CIA officers who have fallen in the line of duty — focusing on his crowd size at his inauguration and saying he “has a running war with the media.”
“Former CIA Director Brennan is deeply saddened and angered at Donald Trump’s despicable display of self-aggrandizement in front of CIA’s Memorial Wall of Agency heroes,” Nick Shapiro said in a statement. “Brennan says that Trump should be ashamed of himself.”
Trump’s visit was seen as part of a bid to mend fences after he strained relations with intelligence officials by repeatedly casting doubt on their assessment that Russia had carried out cyberattacks during the campaign. He also suggested that the intelligence community was leaking information about the investigation to the press, taking to Twitter to slam Brennan.
President Donald Trump also told CIA employees “I am so behind you.” Trump said there is “nobody who feels more strongly about the intelligence community than Donald Trump,” and told them the memorial wall of fallen CIA agents behind him is “very special.”
