National Security Council spokesman, as well as former CIA analyst, Ned Price accused President Donald Trump of giving Russia a green light to continue meddling in the U.S. democracy and upcoming U.S. elections. Price said that by failing to punish Russia, Trump hints to the country that it can continue undermining U.S. democracy.
“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 Tuesday 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 continued.
His comments come shortly after CIA leaders testified on Capitol Hill Tuesday about the national security threats the U.S. is facing, 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, in addition, said to the lawmakers that Moscow is “likely to pursue even more aggressive cyberattacks” against upcoming elections.
NSA Director Admiral Michael Rogers backed Coats’ warnings, adding Russia’s efforts to interfere in U.S. elections are “not going to change or stop.”
The Hill reports that 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.”
However, last month Trump refused to sign sanctions against Russia for their interference in the 2016 elections. His administration explained the decision by saying that 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 his post as CIA analyst in February 2017 after more than a decade of service, as a result of 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.
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