'This is mind control': Ex-CIA agent nails Trump's new loyalty oath for government staffers

The White House and Republicans were supposed to be putting together a plan to protect Americans against Russia hacking yet another election, former CIA officer Phil Mudd pointed out on CNN Monday. Instead, they've failed Americans, opting instead for their own crusade to protect the president from anyone who disagrees with him.

"In a typical president, the National Security Council would say to the president, 'here are the options,' but they won't do that," said Mudd.

Retired Rear Adm. John Kirby agreed, saying that in wake of the president's acquittal from the Republican Senate, he feels empowered to do whatever he wants.

"Look put aside for a minute the fact that it is petty and small, and I don't think that the president cares about that, and puts aside the fact that he is not now going to be getting the solid and good and unvarnished candid advice because he does not care about this, and this is a chilling effect throughout the government," said Kirby.

Mudd said he knows of some officials who have been ousted, even though they've been around for decades.

"I'll tell you what worries people in my old positions and it is not just replacing the leadership," Mudd continued. "When you start embedding staff -- and stories about that in Washington -- and that is Trump staff going to the places like the director of the national intelligence. That means that you have people with the president's stamp affecting the message every day. This is mind control. They will try to tell the staff what to tell us and the Congress and this is the problem."

If Trump's political staff is telling the national security what to say and do based on politics and not on facts, that could make it impossible for officials on both sides to know what's actually happening.

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