EDITOR’S NOTE: This report was republished with permission from .
President Trump鈥檚聽聽in Langley, Virginia, on Saturday. His speech there was supposed to smooth over any bad feelings with the intelligence community, but it may have done exactly the opposite.
Before being sworn in as president, Mr. Trump reminded the intelligence community of the failures leading up to the war in Iraq and accused it of being the source of leaks, reports CBS 草莓传媒 correspondent Jeff Pegues. The speech Saturday didn鈥檛 appear to mend fences, it left some current and former CIA officials stunned and angered.
鈥淭here is nobody that feels stronger about the intelligence community and the CIA than Donald Trump,鈥� Mr. Trump said.
Despite that pledge of support, U.S. intelligence officials tell CBS 草莓传媒 Mr. Trump鈥檚 visit to CIA headquarters was 鈥渦ncomfortable,鈥� and that he 鈥渕ade relations with the intelligence community worse.鈥�
During the speech in front of a memorial wall dedicated to fallen CIA officers, Mr. Trump blamed the media for creating drama between him and the agency.
鈥淭hey sort of made it sound like I had a feud with intelligence community. And I just want to let you know the reason you鈥檙e the number-one stop, it is exactly the opposite,鈥� Mr. Trump said.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 think that sounded right. And in fact, we rated it false,鈥� PolitiFact editor Angie Holan said.
Holan looked into President Trump鈥檚 claims and found that over the last couple of months, Mr. Trump had been critical of the intelligence community, even saying at one point he didn鈥檛 trust them.
鈥淰ery easy to use them, but I won鈥檛 use them because they鈥檝e made such bad decisions,鈥� Mr. Trump said in a Fox 草莓传媒 interview last August.
He stepped up his criticism after all 17 intelligence agencies concluded that the Russian government was behind a wave of cyberattacks to influence the election.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just another excuse. I don鈥檛 believe it,鈥� Mr. Trump said on Fox 草莓传媒 Sunday in December 2016.
鈥淎t that time he said that, this was the same intelligence community that had worked on weapons of destruction and Saddam Hussein. So that was a criticism,鈥� Holan said.
When information leaked about an intelligence briefing earlier this month, in which Mr. Trump was informed of the existence of a dossier of unsubstantiated claims about him,聽: 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a disgrace. And I say that, and I say that. And that鈥檚 something that Nazi Germany would have done and did do.鈥�
Two days later, a series of Mr. Trump鈥檚 tweets said the leaked information was 鈥渞eleased by 鈥業ntelligence鈥� even knowing there is no proof, and never will be.鈥�
The setting for the speech is considered sacred ground of the agency.
The setting for the speech, the memorial wall, is considered sacred ground for the agency. Former CIA director John Brennan, who left the agency late last week, said over the weekend that he was saddened by the president鈥檚 statements and that the president should be ashamed of himself.
