Ex-CIA chief slams Trump’s vengeful behaviour on UNGA Jerusalem vote
NEW YORK, (MILLAT ONLINE):A former CIA chief has denounced President Donald Trump after he threatened to cut US aid to UN member states that voted against his Jerusalem declaration, saying the move smacked of “qualities usually found in narcissistic, vengeful autocrats.”
“Trump Admin threat to retaliate against nations that exercise sovereign right in UN to oppose US position on Jerusalem [al-Quds] is beyond outrageous,” John Brennan, who served as CIA Director under former President Barack Obama, tweeted on Thursday.
“Shows @realDonaldTrump expects blind loyalty and subservience from everyone” qualities usually found in narcissistic, vengeful autocrats,” he added.
As many as 128 countries voted Thursday to back a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly calling for the US to drop its provocative recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Nine countries voted against the resolution, and 35 abstained.
Before the overwhelming vote, Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted against the United States.
Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, made a fiery speech to the assembly in which she vowed that the US “will remember … when we are called upon once again to make the world’s largest contribution to the United Nations. And we will remember when so many countries come calling on us … to pay even more.”
Trump had warned that the US could discontinue financial aid to countries that vote in favour of a draft United Nations resolution against his decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital.
“They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us. Well, we’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.
Brennan has previously called Trump’s character and leadership style into question after the president accused US spy agencies of using Nazi tactics over leaking “fake news” and “phony stuff” about him to the media.