Fmr CIA Director Brennan: I Think Tillerson Was Fired for Being ‘Far Too Principled,’ Haspel ‘Should Be Confirmed’

On Tuesday’s “MSNBC Live,” MSNBC Senior National Security and Intelligence Contributor and former CIA Director John Brennan argued that outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was dismissed because he “was far too principled, and not sufficiently loyal to Donald Trump,” and stated that newly designated CIA Director Gina Haspel “should be confirmed.”

Brennan said, “I think Rex Tillerson was far too principled, and not sufficiently loyal to Donald Trump, which is why he was shown the door.”

He added that newly designated Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is “very smart. But he also has shown himself totally loyal to Donald Trump.” Brennan continued that you do want the secretary of state to be on the same “wavelength” as the president, but it does “worry me when Donald Trump says that they both think alike on these issues.”

Brennan further said that if there is any benefit to the shakeup, it will be that Pompeo will “reflect more accurately, Donald Trump’s thinking, but I’m not confident that that may be the best way to resolve some of these very difficult foreign policy issues.”

Brennan did offer praise of Haspel, stating that he thinks she “will be confirmed and should be confirmed.” He also said he hopes Haspel “speaks truth to power and represents the CIA in an apolitical, nonpartisan, and honest and objective way.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett