Former CIA director John Brennan calls Trump’s press conference ‘treasonous’

A former CIA director called President Donald Trump’s Monday press conference held with Russian President Vladimir Putin “treasonous.”

John Brennan, who ran the CIA during President Barack Obama’s second term and since has been a frequent Trump critic, tweeted after the joint press conference that Trump’s behavior during the summit “rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors,'” referring to the standard used to determine if impeachment of an American president is justified.

“Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin.Republican Patriots: Where are you???” Brennan tweeted.

Earlier Monday Brennan tweeted: “Why did Trump meet 1 on 1 with Putin? What might he be hiding from Bolton, Pompeo, Kelly, & the American public?”

Even Republicans were quick to criticize Trump for the remarks he made Monday alongside Putin.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Trump’s decision to indicate his acceptance of Putin’s denial of election interference a “missed opportunity … to hold Russia accountable.”

“This answer by President Trump will be seen by Russia as a sign of weakness and create far more problems than it solves,” Graham added.

Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who frequently has sparred with Trump, described the remarks as “shameful.” Flake said: “I never thought I would see the day when our American President would stand on the stage with the Russian President and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression.”

Brennan’s tweets follow testimony he gave in front of the House Intelligence Committee in May, in which he said Russia “brazenly interfered” in the 2016 elections and was in active contact with members of the Trump campaign. Brennan did not explicitly state that the two sides colluded, saying the Trump campaign aides may not have known the Russians were spies. “Frequently, people who go along a treasonous path do not know they are on a treasonous path until it is too late,” Brennan said.