Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Thursday that the only explanation for President Trump’s performance at the Helsinki summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin is that the Russian government is holding something over his head.
“More and more, I come to the conclusion that after the Helsinki performance and since, that I really do wonder whether the Russians have something on him,” Clapper told CNN Thursday morning. “I think his behavior was just unbelievable.”
[More: Democrat says it’s ‘likely’ Putin has dirt on Trump]
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper: “More and more, I come to the conclusion that after the Helsinki performance and since, that I really do wonder whether the Russians have something on him. I think his behavior was just unbelievable.” https://t.co/K6HbHaZGpU pic.twitter.com/gKMjSewlJA
— CNN (@CNN) July 19, 2018
Clapper said he also fears that Trump may have shared classified information with Putin.
“There’s no telling what may have been exposed either at that meeting in Helsinki or in their earlier encounters,” Clapper said.
Trump held his first bilateral meeting with the leader of Russia on Monday, and held a joint press conference in which he said he did not believe Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump later clarified his comments and said he misspoke, and that he trusts U.S. intelligence agencies that say Russia meddled.
