President Donald Trump chose to believe Russian President Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence officials on North Korea’s ballistic missile capabilities, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told CBS’ “60 Minutes” during a bombshell interview that aired Sunday night.
McCabe said Trump made the comments during a White House briefing.
“The president— launched into— several unrelated diatribes. One of those was commenting on the recent missile launches by the government of North Korea. And, essentially, the president said he did not believe that the North Koreans had the capability to hit us here with ballistic missiles in the United States.
“And he did not believe that because President Putin had told him they did not. President Putin had told him that the North Koreans don't actually have those missiles.”
McCabe said he wasn’t present at the meeting but was briefed by an FBI official who was present.
“Intelligence officials in the briefing responded that that was not consistent with any of the intelligence our government possesses to which the president replied, "I don't care. I believe Putin,”” McCabe said.
The response was “astounding,” said McCabe.
“To spend the time and effort and energy that we all do in the intelligence community to produce products that will help decision makers and the ultimate decision maker, the President of the United States — make policy decisions, and to be confronted with an absolute disbelief in those efforts and a unwillingness to learn the true state of affairs that he has to deal with every day was just shocking.”
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