MSNBC's Joe Scarborough reels over Trump's 'disgusting' attacks on America's intel community

(Image credit: Screenshot/MSNBC)

published 6 July 2017

Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough was absolutely floored by President Trump's disparaging remarks in Poland on Thursday about the American press and intelligence agencies. During a press conference, Trump attacked CNN, which he claimed has "been fake news for a long time," and contradicted U.S. intelligence agencies' consensus that Russia meddled in the U.S. presidential election, claiming that "nobody really knows for sure."

"This is remarkable," Scarborough said. "For a sitting president of the United States, really, to be on foreign soil — you can't really underline this enough — and attack America's intel community, on foreign soil, and attack America's free press, on foreign soil. ... For him to attack American institutions two days after the Fourth of July on foreign soil, the day before we meet America's chief adversary [Russian President Vladimir Putin], is nothing short of disgusting."

Richard Haas, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, also pointed out the timing of Trump's attacks on American intelligence was "odd," as a discussion over how best to deal with North Korea's nuclear activity looms. "We're about to have a conversation with the world, where you're likely to be saying here's what we know about North Korea," Haas said. "And this is going to be based on American intelligence."