Clapper on Russia Threat: Trump 'Never Talks About That'

Also, perspectives on this week's school shooting in Parkland
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 18, 2018 11:03 AM CST
Clapper's Prediction on Mueller: 'More Shoes to Drop'
In this May 8, 2017, file photo, former National Intelligence Director James Clapper testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

Robert Mueller's indictment against 13 Russians and the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., spurred much of the conversation on the Sunday morning circuit. After the special counsel's newest indictment, President Trump spent much of the weekend tweeting how there was "no collusion" between himself or members of his team and Russia during the 2016 campaign, but former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper appeared on CNN's State of the Union to warn this latest indictment may not be the end of the story, per the Hill. There are "more shoes to drop," Clapper predicted, adding that "the big revelation to me" from Mueller's indictment "was never before have we seen an effort like this mounted by the Russians. … We're losing sight of what we're going to do about the threat posed by Russians. [Trump] never talks about that." Elsewhere on the Sunday morning dial:

  • Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, another of Trump's targets on Twitter Sunday, also appeared on CNN and scoffed at Trump's decision that his team is in the clear on collusion. "This is a president who claims vindication anytime someone sneezes," he said. Schiff says he has long argued the Obama administration should've been more forceful against Russia as well, but that "none of that is an excuse for this president to sit on his hands."
  • Even conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh warns that Trump should tread more lightly on the "no collusion" front. "I would be very careful if I were President Trump here," he said on Fox News Sunday, per Fox News Insider. "The danger for the president is [that] it would be very … seductive for him to embrace this [and] say, "See, I've been vindicated." Limbaugh added this could all be a "setup" for Trump's impeachment if Dems sweep the midterms later this year.
Continue on for takes on Parkland and gun control.

  • Turning to the Parkland mass shooting, GOP Sen. James Lankford appeared on NBC's Meet the Press to note he has "no issue" with more stringent background checks on firearms to "[slow] down purchases for people that show all the basic warning signs," per NBC News. But as for banning weapons like the AR-15, he has a different take. "The problem is not owning an AR-15, it's the person who owns it," he said. "I think what should be difficult is for any person with any kind of criminal background history, domestic violence, mental instability, all of those things, regardless. I don't care whether they're buying a 22 pistol or an AR-15."
  • Florida GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo appeared on ABC's This Week to advocate for discussions on "reasonable, common-sense gun safety laws," the Washington Examiner reports. "What we need is congressional leaders, specifically in my party, to allow some of these bills to come to the floor for debate," he said, referencing legislation on such matters as expanded background checks and a ban on bump stocks.
  • Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson also appeared on This Week to warn that the public needs to step up more to help the FBI counter violent acts. "They've got a lot on their plate," he said, per the Hill. "Even with all the resources of the FBI, we are not a police state. The police, federal law enforcement cannot be on every street corner, in every school, at every kitchen table."
(More Sunday morning talk shows stories.)

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