Ex-CIA analyst: Trump giving Russia ‘green light’ to interfere in US elections

Former CIA analyst and National Security Council spokesman Ned Price accused President Trump of giving Russia “the green light” to meddle in upcoming U.S. elections by failing to punish the country for interfering in the 2016 election.

“We have heard that President Trump has personally himself done absolutely nothing to help our national security establishment and infrastructure stop the next round of Russian meddling. That should be hugely troubling to all of us,” Price said in a Tuesday appearance on MSNBC’s “The Beat with Ari Melber.”

“Both what he has done and has not done are very clear signals to Moscow — a clear signal that they have the green light to continue,” Price said.

{mosads}Price’s remarks come after top intelligence leaders testified on Capitol Hill Tuesday about national security threats facing the U.S., including the threat of future election interference from Russia.

“There should be no doubt that Russia perceived its past efforts as successful and views the 2018 midterm elections as a potential target for Russian influence operations,” Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said during the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.

Coats also warned lawmakers that Moscow is “likely to pursue even more aggressive cyberattacks” against future elections in an effort to undermine U.S. democracy.

National Security Agency Director Adm. Michael Rogers echoed Coats’s warning, saying Russia’s attempts to interfere in U.S. elections are “not going to change or stop.”

Trump has cast doubt on the intelligence committee’s assessment that Russia meddled in the 2016 election, saying in November he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denials. He later affirmed that he was in agreement with the intelligence agencies, after criticizing their former leaders as “political hacks.”

Last month, Trump declined to implement sanctions against Russia that were passed in response to Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections. The administration said the legislation authorizing the sanctions is already “serving as a deterrent,” and thus the implementation of the penalties isn’t needed at this time.

Price resigned last February after more than a decade of service, citing Trump’s behavior as a presidential candidate and his visit to CIA headquarters on his first day as president. 

“Despite working proudly for Republican and Democratic presidents, I reluctantly concluded that I cannot in good faith serve this administration as an intelligence professional,” he wrote at the time.