Former CIA chief John O. Brennan now says his months of attacks on President Trump may have been based on “bad information.”

One of the president’s harshest critics had a muted tone on Monday as he discussed special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” No evidence was found to support the claim that Mr. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign “conspired or coordinated” with Russia.

“Well, I don’t know if I received bad information but I think I suspected there was more than there actually was,” Mr. Brennan told host Joe Scarborough. “I am relieved that it’s been determined there was not a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government over our election.”

Mr. Brennan said in December 2018, for instance, that Mr. Trump should prepare for the “forthcoming exposure of your malfeasance & corruption.”

“We need an actual leader — our Nation’s future is at stake,” he tweeted Dec. 31.

The former CIA head said he still maintained that some conversations between Mr. Trump’s campaign and Russians were “inappropriate.”

“I’m not all that surprised that the high bar of criminal conspiracy was not met,” he said.

Mr. Trump said Sunday that it was “a shame that our country has had to go through this. To be honest, it’s a shame that your president has had to go through this.”

“It began illegally, and hopefully, somebody is going to look at the other side. This was an illegal take-down that failed, and hopefully, somebody is going to be looking at the other side,” he told reporters. “So it is complete exoneration. No collusion, no obstruction.”

Brennan on MSNBC: Well, I don’t know if I received bad information but I think I suspected there was more than there actually was. I am relieved that it’s been determined there was not a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government over our election. pic.twitter.com/V2D7Cg9KsV — Wojciech Pawelczyk 🇵🇱 (@PolishPatriotTM) March 25, 2019

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