Obama’s CIA director shreds “simple-minded” “bad lawyer” Ted Cruz in biting exchange
On Friday morning, an Iranian nuclear scientist was brutally murdered on the outskirts of Tehran in a despicable act of terrorism. Suspected to have been perpetrated by Israeli agents, the gunning down of a man of science in broad daylight simply because he may have worked on the long-shuttered Iranian nuclear missile program nearly two decades ago represents not only a reckless escalation of tensions but also a flagrant violation of international law.
A surprisingly harsh condemnation came from President Obama’s former CIA director, John Brennan, who pointed the finger at Donald Trump’s disregard for international norms and complete abandonment of American leadership for pushing us towards conflict and turning a blind eye to the increasingly reckless and vicious behavior from America’s Israeli allies.
This was a criminal act & highly reckless. It risks lethal retaliation & a new round of regional conflict.
Iranian leaders would be wise to wait for the return of responsible American leadership on the global stage & to resist the urge to respond against perceived culprits. https://t.co/0uZhyBTM3S— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) November 27, 2020
These assassinations are far different than strikes against terrorist leaders & operatives of groups like al-Qaida & Islamic State, which are not sovereign states. As illegitimate combatants under international law, they can be targeted in order to stop deadly terrorist attacks.
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) November 27, 2020
As the former CIA director, Brennan is no stranger to state-sponsored murder himself and is almost certainly responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians in America’s covert drone wars. But his condemnation is admittedly refreshing and an unexpected show of pushback against an appalling act of terrorism by an American ally.
The significance of his response was made immediately clear by Sen. Ted Cruz, who immediately began howling with fury at the slightest implied criticism of Israel and accused Brennan of “siding with Iranian zealots” for thinking it’s not acceptable to murder a scientist in another country for no reason.
It’s bizarre to see a former head of the CIA consistently side with Iranian zealots who chant “Death to America.”
And reflexively condemn Israel.
Does Joe Biden agree? https://t.co/H38OB1ejCr
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 27, 2020
This provoked a biting response from Brennan, who accurately dinged the baby-brained Senator as a “simple-minded man” who had a “lawless attitude” who was “unworthy to represent the good people of Texas.”
It is typical for you to mischaracterize my comment. Your lawless attitude & simple-minded approach to serious national security matters demonstrate that you are unworthy to represent the good people of Texas. https://t.co/93WwclgAtS
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) November 27, 2020
Cruz responded by trying to ding Brennan for being cool in the 70s and repeated the widely debunked myth that the Obama administration “gave” $150 billion to Iran, reminding us all that Cruz is not just stupid but a liar too.
Gosh, I touched a nerve.
Facts matter.FACT 1: you’ve admitted, in 1976 you voted for the Communist candidate for President because, I guess, Jimmy Carter wasn’t liberal enough for you.
FACT 2: you gave $150 Bn to Ayatollah Khamenei, knowing it would be used to kill Americans. https://t.co/zKYGTaqov0
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 28, 2020
In a truly ridiculous twist, Ted Cruz began promoting the idea that Brennan had violated the Logan Act, which was used to prosecute former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. The Logan Act has only been used to indict one official some 217 years ago and exists to prevent officials from interfering in U.S. foreign policy.
This prompted another fusillade from Brennan, who ripped into Cruz as a “poor Senator” and a “bad lawyer.”
.@tedcruz is now misrepresenting the Logan Act. Apparently, he is a poor Senator & a bad lawyer. A private citizen publicly criticizing what could be a state-sponsored assassination of a government official & cautioning against retaliatory killing is called freedom of speech.
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) November 28, 2020
It is infuriating to see a United States Senator can comport himself with such stunning ignorance and feral malice — and how deeply the Trumpian brain rot has wormed itself into Republicans across the board. It should not be controversial to denounce an act of murder against an unarmed and innocent civilian and certainly should not inspire hysterical accusations of treasonous disloyalty and childish insults. Ted Cruz once again goes out of his way to remind us why he’s one of the most despised men in American politics.
