Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Friday that he was "blindsided" by President Donald Trump's tweet attacking him for congressional testimony on his media contacts, slamming it as "a smear, innuendo."
"The real point here was to put out a smear, innuendo, which I can't respond to, because I don't know what they are talking about," Clapper, now a CNN commentator, told Erin Burnett in an interview on the cable network.
"It kind of blindsided me."
Trump tweeted Friday that an upcoming report by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee concluded that "Clapper provided inconsistent testimony on media contacts."
Trump has repeatedly blasted the nation's intelligence agencies — and his campaign specifically quoted Clapper's attacks on Iran in a 2016 email opposing the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Tehran.
"I don't know why he did it," Clapper told Burnett, saying that he thought Trump's criticism, "in the relative scheme of things," was "pretty inconsequential."
Clapper said his attorney has requested to see the House report, but the panel has to vote to have it declassified.
The process could take weeks.
"I don't know when I'll find out about it," Clapper said. "They didn't reach out to me to ask me about it."
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