Fox News "The Ingraham Angle" - Transcript: Rep. Ron DeSantis: Brennan's Conduct Has Been a Joke
Interview
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INGRAHAM: All right. Don't tease us. We got to get more. We still have a few more days in the week. Guys, thanks so much.
And the intelligence community is generally apolitical as we said, but Brennan has been one of the president's harshest critics, regularly making appearances, media sounding more like a far left pundit of course, than a former spy chief. Joining me now, someone who has been very critical of Brennan, Congressman Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee in Florida's gubernatorial election.
Congressman, is it fair to revoke a security clearance? I mean, John Brennan, the list of jobs, Congressman, he's had for the government, and he is just trying to protect the United States, don't you see, from perpetual Russian interference, from the puppet known as our current president. I mean, that's basically what he said today.
REP. RON DESANTIS, R-FLA.: Of course, he is just this great public servant. Please! First of all, he shouldn't have a security clearance even if he did do a good job and even if he had been apolitical, but his conduct I think has been a joke. I think it's damaged the intelligence community.
And his tenure as both the National Terrorism chief but then also at CIA was very unproductive and disastrous. He did not do a good job identifying ISIS as a rising threat, and of course, was somebody helping to facilitate the disastrous deal with Iran. So his performance wasn't good.
So I don't think he would be a guy you would even want to get advice from, even if he wasn't such a partisan hack. But the fact that he launches those wild accusations on twitter, it's just not conduct becoming of somebody who has been in those high positions.
INGRAHAM: Well, I have to say, a short while ago on -- this was on CNN, Anderson Cooper interviewed Michael Hayden about all of this, and he had this to say about Brennan's effectiveness.
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INGRAHAM: I first thought he was in a prison there. They actually sent a camera crew to Speed when I first thought he was in a prison there. They actually sent a camera crew to Dulles Airport. He is like on the way to vacation. That is how important it was for CNN to get -- but he said it's a sign that he was being somewhat effective.
At what? Undermining the president? What is he effective at? He lied to the -- Dianne Feinstein, the CIA spied on a senate committee, the computers of a senate committee. He lied about it. He should not have a security clearance just for that fact. Where is Dianne Feinstein when you need her help?
DESANTIS: Yes, I know. The thing is, this idea that the intelligence community, you are sending a message to them, it's not the role of the intelligence community, particularly people who are active now to be launching political attacks. They are supposed to be -- many of them are professional, but the idea that you are an activist as an intelligence official, it is not the type of intelligence that we want.
We want people who are apolitical and obviously we have seen in the whole fall out of this Russia thing. When you have people like Brennan, when you have people like Peter Strzok, when you have people like Andrew McCabe, who are behaving politically, you know, that really distorts some of the powers -- the use of some of the powers that the government has.
INGRAHAM: Congressman, on a separate issue, today Governor Andrew Cuomo from New York made a comment that made me stop in my tracks. As part of the Democrats, I think desire to turn out the vote, get people registered, oh, my god, (inaudible) and they are freaking out I think because they see the economy rising so high and they still have to create a sense of panic. But this is what he said. Let's watch.
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INGRAHAM: The president just tweeted out, "Can you believe that this is the governor of the highest taxed state in the United States, Andrew Cuomo having a total meltdown." He just literally tweeted that. Your reaction to that? He kind of tried to clarify and he apologized. Congressman, your reaction, really quick.
DESANTIS: Well, it's just absurd. I mean, you know, some of the great things that the United States has done -- we've done things that no other country has done. I think the country is a great country. I think we are in the right track now more so than we were the last eight years. New York is on the wrong track and people are fleeing his state because of his bad policies.
INGRAHAM: Congressman, thanks so much.
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