Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Tuesday said it’s “really disturbing” to him that President Trump has reportedly made an effort to keep private details of his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I think Americans should be very concerned about it,” Clapper, a frequent Trump critic, said on CNN’s “New Day.”
{mosads}”Here we’re having these one-on-one meetings, several of them, and we have no idea what went on,” he added. “And this is with the leader of the arch-adversary of the United States.”
Clapper dismissed the argument that Trump sought to prevent leaks by limiting the number of people in meetings with Putin, saying that rationale “stretches credulity.”
He added that additional advisers and staffers are often needed in such meetings to note diplomatic requests and commitments.
“I just think it’s really disturbing that we have apparently no record of any of this dialogue,” he said.
Clapper expressed skepticism, however, about subpoenaing the records of Trump’s meetings, suggesting it would set a dangerous precedent for future leaders.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday that Trump has kept details of his meetings with Putin from top officials in his administration, including taking notes from an interpreter.
That report came one day after The New York Times reported that the FBI was so concerned about Trump’s firing of former bureau chief James Comey that it opened an inquiry into whether the president was working on behalf of Russian interests.
The White House dismissed the reports as “inaccurate” and defended Trump’s record on Russia, while the president called the stories “insulting” and “ridiculous.”