Former CIA analyst Buck Sexton chastised CNN and other media outlets on Tuesday for their reporting on the exfiltration of a Russian spy, and said it was a coordinated effort to attack President Trump and his administration.
"There is an obvious recklessness from anybody who would be talking about this kind of story that had access or knew anything if...that’s what went on here," he said during an appearance on "America's Newsroom." "It’s quite clear that it was just meant to get Trump. The story here really isn’t about the whole operation... The agency has already come out -- which is rare -- and said this is just B.S. This is not true.
"But this was all meant to be a weapon against Donald Trump," Sexton continued. "Because we’re in the 'get Trump' era, all of the rules all of a sudden don’t apply the same way."
In a rare move, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) mentioned CNN by name in a public statement released Monday night that said the claims about Trump being cavalier with confidential information, and putting an American asset at risk, were blatantly "false."
"CNN's narrative that the Central Intelligence Agency makes life-or-death decisions based on anything other than objective analysis and sound collection is simply false," the statement read. "Misguided speculation that the President's handling of our nation's most sensitive intelligence - which he has access to each and every day - drove an alleged exfiltration operation is inaccurate."
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Sexton said the media must look inward and decide if they're going to hold themselves to a higher standard, or if they'll continue to diminish Trump's presidency at every turn, no matter the cost.
"It’s a question of judgment and ethics," he said. "I think in this case you’ve seen a lot of people that have just decided, well because it makes Trump look reckless we’re just going to say that this is something people need to hear about."