Trump should have publicly called out Putin on US election meddling: Gen. Jack Keane
Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane tells FOX Business’ Trish Regan that President Trump’s failure to face Vladimir Putin on Russia’s meddling in the U.S. election was “stunning and disappointing.”
“That’s alarming that the president would not stand behind that entire intelligence community and judicial process and back them up 100%,” Keane said during an interview on “The Intelligence Report” on Monday.
The four-star general said the Department of Justice’s indictment of 12 Russian nationals based on special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation is the proof Trump needed to show Putin Russia’s involvement in U.S. elections.
“He should have reiterated something he should have said to Putin,” Keane said. “Something like this, ‘Mr. President, we have the evidence that you do this.’”
Keane said Trump missed an opportunity to publicly say that the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship would be over if Putin interferes in future U.S. elections.
“If you meddle in the 2018 or 2020 election, as you have done in 2016, not only am I going to slap the toughest sanctions on you that I possibly can, but I will tell you the relationship between you and me is over at that point,” he said.
Trump took to Twitter to reiterate his “great confidence” in the U.S. intelligence community. “As I said today and many times before, ‘I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.’ However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the world’s two largest nuclear powers, we must get along! #HELSINKI2018”
FOX Business’ Regan echoed the retired general’s sentiments on Trump’s summit with Putin, saying the president failed to defend the U.S. and its intelligence community.
“[Trump] basically said he didn’t buy what his own intelligence community was telling him,” she said. “This was clearly not his best performance… He should have defended us! He should have defended his own intelligence community."