Robert Reich seemed like he couldn't believe his ears when he heard conservative Jeffrey Lord claiming that President-elect Donald Trump never disparaged the intelligence community.
"I mean, Donald Trump has said that he disagrees with the intelligence agencies, the FBI, the CIA, the NSA," Reich said Thursday on "AC360" with Anderson Cooper. "He has disparaged them publicly. He has also disparaged other sources of facts such as the media and science. Scientists who talk about global climate change. Donald Trump doesn't want to hear anything he doesn't want to hear. And to disparage the intelligence community when he is going to have to rely on the intelligence community, it seems to me is the height of arrogance and very dangerous. Where is Donald Trump getting his facts from if he is not getting them from the intelligence community? Does a separate root of facts? A separate source of facts?"
(Also see: Flip-flop: Trump will ask Congress — and not Mexico — to build the wall )
Lord claimed that Clinton disparaged the FBI when she said that director James Comey was attacking her after his announcement weeks before the election. Reich said that anyone, regardless of party, should never disparage the intelligence community.
"Donald Trump says he disagrees with them and he disparages them," Reich said. "How can you run a government if you're going to be disparaging all your sources of information?"
Getting nowhere with his previous argument, Lord then took issue with Reich's claim that Trump disparaged the intelligence agents.
"Do you think Donald Trump has disparaged them?" Lord asked. "All he did tweet out saying 'intelligence' in quotes." Lord claimed that Trump is a "fan of the community."
"It seems like, we heard from Clapper today who used the word disparaging," Cooper corrected Lord.
"I totally disagree with that," Lord said. "I don't think he is disparaging the men and women who put their lives on the line to do this. That's not Donald Trump at all. But I think he is right to question the leadership. To be perfectly candid."
Lord continued that when they disagree with Trump and attack him. "They're going to attack him anonymously in the press. They'll attack through their allies on Capitol Hill," Lord predicted.
Reich was shocked. "The CIA and NSA are going to attack Donald Trump? Is that what you're alleging?"
Lord alleged that all of the anonymous stories being leaked citing intelligence officials are exactly what he's predicting.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Reich stopped. "I want to understand something. You're saying that there is a conspiracy of some sort, that you have all the intelligence agencies Congress conspiring and they'll try to bring Donald Trump down? Is this the assumption here?"
Lord said that leaks happen in Washington and it's amateurish to claim otherwise.
"But why is it appropriate for somebody who is president-elect to undercut, disparage, demean the intelligence agencies, just as he does the media, just as he does independent scientists and government scientists?" Reich demanded to know.
Lord tried to pivot and Cooper had to end the interview for time.
Watch the insanity below:
Filing showing Paul Pelosi's stock transaction.