President Donald Trump ripped the “very tired New Yorker” on Tuesday morning over a story alleging his advisers suggested he deny intelligence briefings to former President Barack Obama.
According to The New Yorker report, published on Monday, some of Trump’s advisers suggested in the spring of 2017 — around the same time Trump accused Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower — that he should bar Obama’s access to intelligence briefings. On the advice of then-national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Trump ultimately decided against barring Obama from receiving intelligence briefings, the magazine reported.
Trump denied that story on Tuesday, writing online that he “never discussed” excluding the former president.
“Fake News, of which there is soooo much (this time the very tired New Yorker) falsely reported that I was going to take the extraordinary step of denying Intelligence Briefings to President Obama. Never discussed or thought of!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
The New Yorker story, which focuses largely on former CIA Director John Brennan, comes at a time where the president has publicly weighed revoking the security clearances of several former officials who have publicly criticized him. The White House announced last week it had revoked Brennan’s security clearance and placed the clearances of several others under review.
Earlier this week, the president encouraged Brennan to file a lawsuit against him, a step the former CIA director said he is considering.
Trump also seemingly took note Tuesday morning of former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper’s remarks last weekend in which he told CNN’s “State of the Union” that “John and his rhetoric have become an issue in and of itself.”
Clapper’s is among the security clearances that the Trump administration announced last week would be placed under review.
“Even James Clapper has admonished John Brennan for having gone totally off the rails. Maybe Clapper is being nice to me so he doesn’t lose his Security Clearance for lying to Congress!” Trump wrote.
The president’s tweet was an apparent reference to Clapper’s 2013 testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, in which he told lawmakers that the government did “not wittingly” collect data on Americans. Shortly after Clapper’s testimony, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked troves of intelligence showing such data collection did occur.
Members of the emergency services in biohazard suits after Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned in Salisbury | Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images
A U.K. woman died after being exposed to the same kind of military-grade nerve agent used against a former Russian spy and his daughter, the British government said Sunday.
Dawn Sturgess, 44, was found unconscious in a home in Amesbury, England last week along with Charlie Rowley, 45. The incident was initially thought to be drug-related, but results from a scientific laboratory at Porton Down later confirmed the pair had come into contact with the Russian-made chemical Novichok — the same substance behind the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March.
“I am appalled and shocked by the death of Dawn Sturgess, and my thoughts and condolences go to her family and loved ones,” U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement. “Police and security officials are working urgently to establish the facts of this incident, which is now being investigated as a murder.”
The town of Amesbury is located less than 10 miles from Salisbury, where Skripal and his daughter were themselves found unconscious. Police say they are “not in a position to say” whether the nerve agent Sturgess and Rowley were exposed to was from the same batch as the Skripals’ attack.
“The possibility that the two investigations might be linked is clearly a key line of inquiry for police. However, it is important that the investigation is led by the evidence available and the facts alone,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
The Skripals’ poisoning set off a diplomatic spat between the U.K. and Russia, which the British government blames for the attack. Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement.
“However, it is important that the investigation is led by the evidence available and the facts alone.”
Novichok was developed in Russia, if the nerve poison used in both recent cases was made there is still uncertain.
It is of utmost importance that they find out where the substance is kept in order to neutralise it and avoid any further contamination. As to Russia, denial remains its sole and unacceptable defence argument.
Not that anyone will now see this – but they found a small bottle of the agent. How much you want to bet this couple poisoned Skirpal and his daughter. Isn’t it very odd, NO – at least what I’ve seen here in the U.S. – information has come out about this couple – where they work, their background – none at all. What is the connection with that lab nearby that works with these agents. This is all very suspicious – but I bet no connections to the Russians either.