Trump’s CIA pick extends olive branch to agency

Standing in front of the agency’s Memorial Wall of heroes, which honors the C.I.A.’s dead, Trump blamed the press for inventing his feud with USA intelligence agencies, claimed his inauguration address drew crowds of about 1.5 million people (despite photographic evidence suggesting well less than a third this number), and engaged in a weird digression about his own intelligence (“I’m like, a smart person”).

John Brennan, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency says that he was “deeply saddened and angered” at the words he heard President Donald Trump speak as he addressed Central Intelligence Agency employees on Saturday in Langley, Virginia. He did not elaborate on what that meant. “Also sitting in the first several rows in front of the president was the CIA’s senior leadership, which was not cheering the remarks”. There’s nobody I respect more.

Even before that, Trump argued with the intelligence community, repeatedly dismissing its assessment that Russian Federation had tried to interfere in the US presidential elections. If you look at the comments from pool reporters who were there, they say the applause came mostly from the entourage that went out there with the president, his staff, and other people who were there with him.

Trump lauded his “great transition”, his “amazing team”, his personal vigor (“I think I’m young”) and his intelligence (“I’m like a smart person”).

On another social media front, The Washington Post reported that the administration ordered the Interior Department to shut down its Twitter account after it opposed unflattering pictures of the size of the crowd at Trump’s inaugural, much smaller than the one Obama had in 2009. “They are among the most dishonest human beings on earth”, he continued.

“I was there yesterday”, he said.

Speaking at the CIA’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, Trump said he appreciates the agency’s work, and that he supports its employees as he stood before a wall commemorating slain CIA personnel. You’re going to get so much backing.

But an unnamed government official said that the audience members who were heard clapping for Trump were actually a group of over three dozen supporters of the president, Vice President Mike Pence, and House Rep. Mike Pompeo, according to CBS News.

Pompeo harshly criticized former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an addendum to the official report, accusing her of lying to the American people about the attack. “I think that it’s unprofessional, I think perhaps he’s bitter – you know, he was replaced the day before, he was not asked to hold over like [former director of national intelligence James] Clapper was”.

“I found out a few days ago that Donald Trump was planning on going to the agency to swear in Mike Pompeo, because there had been an agreement in the Senate that all the national security folks would be approved on the first day”.

The turnout at anti-Trump marches across the country exceeded the estimation of the organisers who particularly declared that it was no longer possible for the Washington rally to march to the White House because of the unprecedented attendance.