WASHINGTON, February 18. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump did not believe a report by the US intelligence officials claiming that North Korea is in possession of missiles able to reach the US territory due to Russian President Vladimir Putin claiming the opposite, former Acting Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe said in an interview with the CBS channel, published on Sunday.
"Essentially, the president [Trump] said he did not believe that the North Koreans had the capability to hit us here with ballistic missiles in the United States. And he did not believe that because President Putin had told him they did not. President Putin had told him that the North Koreans don't actually have those missiles," McCabe claimed.
"Intelligence officials in the briefing responded that was not consistent with any of the intelligence our government possesses to which the president replied, "I don't care. I believe Putin," the former acting FBI chief continued.
"It's just an astounding thing to say. To spend the time and effort and energy that we all do in the intelligence community to produce products that will help decision makers and the ultimate decision maker, the President of the United States make policy decisions, and to be confronted with an absolute disbelief in those efforts and a unwillingness to learn the true state of affairs that he has to deal with every day was just shocking," McCabe stated.
Earlier, McCabe said that during his tenure as the FBI acting director, he ordered to carry out two investigations related to Trump - one in response to the claims of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, and another one related to the potential obstruction of justice by the current president.
McCabe also stated that after Trump fired FBI head James Comey in May 2017, the US Department of Justice held a series of meetings discussing the possibility of invoking the 25th amendment of the US Constitution, which deals with issues related to presidential succession and disability. The first section of the amendment claims: "In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President".
