Trump promotes criticism of former CIA director

WASHINGTON >> Hours before President Donald Trump is visiting CIA headquarters, he is promoting criticism of former CIA Director John Brennan. Trump is suggesting Brennan is to blame for the Russia probe.

On Twitter Monday, Trump referenced comments from conservative commentator Dan Bogino on “Fox and Friends,” which argued that Brennan “started this entire debacle.” Bagino, a former Secret Service agent, also said Brennan had “disgraced the intelligence community.”

Trump is set to visit the Central Intelligence Agency Monday morning for the swearing-in of Gina Haspel. The Senate confirmed Haspel last week after overcoming concerns about her role in the agency’s use of harsh interrogation techniques after 9/11.

Brennan became the agency’s director in 2013 under President Barack Obama and served until January 2017. He has been a vocal critic of Trump.