Erin Kelly

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence, said Sunday that U.S. institutions are "under assault" by President Trump as evidenced by Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey last week.

Clapper said on CNN's State of the Union that "the developments of the past week are very bothersome, very disturbing to me." Trump fired Comey in the midst of the FBI's investigation into possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and the Russian government in last year's presidential election.

"I think in many ways our institutions are under assault both externally — and that's the big news here is the Russian interference in our election system — and I think as well our institutions are under assault internally," Clapper said.

When CNN host Jake Tapper asked if he meant they were under assault by the president, Clapper responded: "Exactly."

"The founding fathers in their genius created a system of co-equal branches of government and a built-in system of checks and balances, and I feel as though that is under assault and is eroding," Clapper said.

He said he hopes senators and members of Congress from both parties will examine their consciences and decide how to respond to what the White House is doing. "I hope they'll speak up," Clapper said, referring to Republicans.

In a separate appearance on ABC's This Week, Clapper said Comey's firing is a victory for Russia.

"What's unfolded now, here, the lead of the investigation about potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign has been removed," Clapper said. "So the Russians have to consider this as...another victory on the scoreboard for them."

The former national intelligence director for the Obama administration also said on CNN that his past statements that he didn't know of any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during last year's presidential election "should not be considered exculpatory" even though they have been used that way by Trump.

Clapper said the report from the intelligence community that he was citing when he made those statements to Congress early this year focused on whether the Russians tried to interfere in the U.S. election. The report concluded that they did, but it did not address possible ties between Trump's campaign and Russian officials.

Trump has cited Clapper's past statements as evidence that his campaign did not collude with the Russians. The president has denounced any suggestion of collusion as a "witch hunt" by Democrats who are still upset over losing the White House.

Clapper said he deferred to the FBI director about whether and when to tell him about any counter-intelligence investigations he might be conducting, including any involving Russia and the Trump campaign. He said he didn't know for sure that the FBI was investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials until Comey testified about it in March before congressional committees. Clapper had left office by then.

"The bottom line is I don't know if there was collusion, political collusion," Clapper said "I don't know of any evidence to it. So I can't refute it, and I can't confirm it."

Clapper said Comey's firing "came as a great shock and was very disturbing to FBI employees."

"It's very disturbing to me the negative morale impact this event has had," he said.

Although people took issue with some of Comey's decisions, he was well-respected in the intelligence community, Clapper said. "As far as his stature as a leader and his integrity, people are very upset about the way he was treated," he said.

Turning to who might replace Comey, Josh Holmes, former chief of staff for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on Fox News Sunday that he spoke with McConnell on Sunday. Holmes said McConnell could support federal Appeals Court Judge Merrick Garland to lead the FBI. The idea was floated last week by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Former president Barack Obama nominated Garland to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last year. Republican senators refused to consider Garland. Trump's nominee, Neil Gorsuch, was confirmed to fill the slot instead.

"I think the Senate majority leader thinks that's a fantastic idea," Holmes said, referring to Garland as a possible FBI director. "It's somebody who obviously Democrats have significant trust and respect for, they've articulated that over the last year, and someone who can do the job impartially and I think he (McConnell) is going to be prepared to make that suggestion."

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