James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, said he is worried about President Trump’s access to the nuclear codes after the commander in chief held a campaign-style rally in Phoenix, Ariz., on Tuesday.
Clapper, who served in the Obama administration as DNI and is now a CNN contributor, said he questions Trump’s ability and fitness to be president.
Asked by CNN’s Don Lemon if that means Trump is a threat to national security, Clapper replied, “Well, he certainly could be.”
“Again, having some understanding of the levers that a president can exercise, I worry about, frankly, you know, the access to nuclear codes,” Clapper answered.
James Clapper, former director of national intelligence, says he questions President Trump’s fitness for office https://t.co/IRRXg7paZM— CNN (@CNN) August 23, 2017
He provided a hypothetical example where North Korean leader Kim Jong Un might provoke Trump to lose his cool.
“There’s actually very little to stop him,” Clapper said. “The whole system’s built to ensure rapid response if necessary. So there’s very little in the way of controls over you know, exercising a nuclear option, which is pretty damn scary.”
