The White House canceled President TrumpDonald TrumpTrump State Department appointee arrested in connection with Capitol riot Intelligence community investigating links between lawmakers, Capitol rioters Michelle Obama slams 'partisan actions' to 'curtail access to ballot box' MORE’s daily intelligence briefing Wednesday after the nation’s top intelligence officials contradicted the administration’s foreign policy in front of Congress.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the Daily Beast “It was moved.”
Presidents typically meet with intelligence officials daily to review threats to the nation. While those meetings are sometimes canceled in the Trump White House, the abruptness Wednesday was unusual.
The cancellation came the day after CIA Director Gina Haspel and Director of National Intelligence Dan CoatsDaniel (Dan) Ray CoatsHow President Biden can hit a home run Former Trump intel chief Coats introduces Biden nominee Haines at hearing Senate Intelligence Committee leaders warn of Chinese threats to national security MORE contradicted Trump on an array of foreign policy issues.
The two said Iran was complying with an Obama-era nuclear deal that Trump has slammed as a “disaster,” noted that North Korea was unlikely to give up its nuclear weapons, though the president has said denuclearization talks are making progress, and said the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria was still a threat despite Trump’s declaration of victory over the terrorist group.
We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018
Trump responded the next morning by excoriating the intelligence chiefs, suggesting that they “should go back to school!”
The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran. They are wrong! When I became President Iran was making trouble all over the Middle East, and beyond. Since ending the terrible Iran Nuclear Deal, they are MUCH different, but....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2019
....a source of potential danger and conflict. They are testing Rockets (last week) and more, and are coming very close to the edge. There economy is now crashing, which is the only thing holding them back. Be careful of Iran. Perhaps Intelligence should go back to school!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2019
But Trump appeared to reconcile with the officials Thursday during an Oval Office meeting, saying they were “all on the same page!”
....I would suggest you read the COMPLETE testimony from Tuesday. A false narrative is so bad for our Country. I value our intelligence community. Happily, we had a very good meeting, and we are all on the same page!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019