President Donald Trump was still in campaign mode and lost sight of the fact he is now sitting in the most powerful seat in the free world when he lashed out at critics during a meeting with CIA employees, former CIA Director Leon Panetta said Monday.
Appearing on CNN's "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer, Panetta said he shared some of the same concerns as President Barack Obama's most recent CIA Director John Brennan. Brennan said Saturday that Trump "should be ashamed of himself" for lashing out at the press as he was stood in front of 117 stars engraved on a wall, representing the agents who have died in the line of duty.
Panetta was more diplomatic than Brennan, noting when he served as President Bill Clinton's chief of staff and Obama's CIA director and Defense secretary, "I've seen them walk into that office, the Oval Office, and suddenly be aware of the awesome responsibility that you have as president of the United States."
Sometimes it is hard to get out of "campaign mode," he said, and realize you have actually won.
"I just got the impression when he was speaking there that somehow, he forgot that he was president of the United States," Panetta said. "And was speaking to the intelligence officers that spend their lives trying to serve this country. That was not the appropriate place to start whining about what was happening in terms of numbers at the inauguration and what have you."
Panetta said he hopes Trump has learned from the experience and when he visits intelligence agencies in the future "do it with a great deal of respect for the people that serve this country."
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