Panetta Explains What Would Help Stop Leaks for Trump

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's friction with the intelligence community is fostering a "lack of trust" atmosphere and damaging morale, former CIA Director Leon Panetta told NBC's Chuck Todd.

Panetta, speaking on Sunday's "Meet The Press," said of the relationship: "Obviously, it's not a good situation."

"Because there is a lack of trust between the president and the intelligence community, and between the intelligence community and the president. And, you know, every time he demeans the intelligence community or accuses it of leaks or accuses it of doing things that it's not doing, that obviously impacts on the morale of that institution," he added.

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Trump has long been critical of the intelligence community, targeting its flawed assessment of threats before the war in Iraq, questioning its conclusions about Russia's attempts to influence the election, and recently comparing some leaks to Nazi Germany.

"Look, these are good people," Panetta continued. "They're not Republicans or Democrats. They're good patriots who are trying to do their job. It's a tough job. They've got to put their lives on the line in order to provide information to the president. The last thing they need is to have a president who questions their patriotism to this country and to him."

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