Ex-CIA Director Slams House Intel for Ending Russia Probe

Former CIA Director John McLaughlin sent out a tweet harshly criticizing Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee after the GOP members announced they were ending the panel's investigation into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russian election meddling.

As a subject or observer of Cong oversight of intell for 40 years, I've never seen a party drive a stake thru the process as House Reps just did. It depends on a bi-partisan approach that at least gives the minority a voice. Take that away and the thing dies. It just did.

— john mclaughlin (@jmclaughlinSAIS) March 13, 2018

McLaughlin was designated deputy director of the CIA in 2000 by President Bill Clinton and then served as acting director a few months under President George W. Bush after George Tenet resigned until Porter Goss was confirmed by the Senate to serve as the new director.

The GOP decision to end the probe was also slammed by one of the Republicans on the committee, Tom Rooney, who told CNN that the panel has "lost all credibility" and has "gone completely off the rails, and now we're basically a political forum for people to leak information to drive the day's news."

Critics of the committee's decision were particularly upset that not only did the panel find no evidence of collusion, but they contradicted U.S. intelligence services by denying that the Russians were trying to help Donald Trump win the presidency and hurt his rival Hillary Clinton.

The committee's top Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff bemoaned the fact that the Republicans made the decision without the Democrats on the panel and said the decision "represents yet another capitulation to the executive branch," The Hill reported.

• Trump Touts House Intel's 'No Collusion' in All-Caps Tweet
• GOP Members of House Intel: No Evidence of Collusion