Albright: Trump a ‘useful idiot’ for Putin

Madeleine Albright says Donald Trump is unknowingly advancing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s agenda by calling the U.S. election system “rigged.”

“There’s a great term that the Soviets used to use: somebody being a ‘useful idiot,’ ” she said Monday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”

{mosads}“I think that Trump falls into that category of people that are manipulated also by the Russians, and the Russians are trying to interfere in our democracy because they don’t have one themselves,” the former secretary of State said.

“I’ve never seen a mind meld of this kind between the Russian leadership and a candidate for the presidency of the United States. This is stunning. And it is an interference in our democratic affairs.”

Albright said Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, should exercise more caution toward Putin, having received intelligence briefings on Russia’s activities.

“This is a national security issue in terms of the Russians being really a part of what we treasure, which is our democratic process,” said Albright, who backs Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

“And then Trump [is] kind of falling into — whether he’s part of the plan or he just falls into traps — kind of talking about elections being rigged and various parts about voter registration,” she said.

“And Trump was briefed in his intelligence briefings about what the Russians are doing, and he’s playing their game instead of being concerned about America’s democratic system.”

Trump refused to say whether he would accept November’s presidential election result during last week’s third and final presidential debate of the 2016 cycle.

A day later, the billionaire said he would accept the voters’ choice — if he wins.

Clinton has frequently accused Trump of expressing too much warmth for Putin, especially in light of the hack of the Democratic National Committee and Clinton’s own campaign chairman, believed to be the work of the Kremlin.

Clinton called Trump Putin’s “puppet” during their Oct. 19 debate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.