‘I Really Question His Ability to Be – His Fitness to Be – in This Office’
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, after watching Donald Trump’s campaign re-election rally in Phoenix Tuesday night, now says he is concerned about the president’s fitness to be president.Â
“I really question his ability to be – his fitness to be – in this office, and I also am beginning to wonder about his motivation for it,” Clapper told CNN.Â
He also cited Trump’s “behavior and divisiveness and complete intellectual, moral and ethical void” as reasons for his concern. Â
Comparing Trump’s speech on Afghanistan Monday night, highly-scripted and read from teleprompters, to his unhinged, free-association, free-wheeling diatribe Tuesday night, Clapper says the “real Trump” is who America saw Tuesday night.
“I think the real Trump came through.”
Clapper also says it’s “downright scary and disturbing” that Trump has access to the nuclear launch codes. He notes there’s “very little to stop him,” which is “pretty damn scary.”
During his Tuesday night campaign rally Trump lied about his Charlottesville remarks, all but promised to pardon “Sheriff” Joe Arpaio, and told supporters the left wants to take away their “heritage,” which is a dog whistle to white supremacists.
For almost his entire adult life Clapper has served the United States of America. His military career began in 1963. He has served every president, Democratic and Republican, from John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama. He’s been the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, and most recently, until last year when he retired, the Director of National Intelligence.
Some responses via Twitter:
CNN National Security Analyst:
Harvard Law School professor of constitutional law:
Washington Post columnist:
Diretor of The Aspen Institute’s Cybersecurity & Technology Program:
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