General Michael Hayden, a former director of the CIA and NSA during the George W. Bush administration, said on Sunday that President Trump will attempt anything in an effort to discredit special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian meddling.
“I think he’s simply trying to delegitimize the Mueller investigation, the FBI, the Department of Justice and he’s willing to throw almost anything against the wall,” Hayden told ABC’s “This Week.”
“Remember, wiretapping Trump Tower, unmasking U.S. identities, FISA applications that were abused and now we have — now we have this,” Hayden added, referring to recent allegations from Trump that a spy was placed in his presidential campaign.
In recent days it was reported that the FBI had an informant who spoke to members of Trump’s presidential campaign. The FBI has worked to assess if there were links between the campaign and Russia.
Shortly after the reports broke, Trump and several Republicans labeled the informant a “spy.”
Hayden noted that while the president’s comments lack evidence, they have made an impact on many Americans.
“All of those are incorrect. All of those are stunningly normal in the development of intelligence and law enforcement,” Hayden said. “But…for a lot of people in the country, one or another or many of those things have already stuck.”
Hayden noted that, based on what he knows of the ongoing investigation, “everyone has handled this just about the way it should have been handled.”