Story highlights Kaine noted that Trump invited Russia to hack Hillary Clinton

Trump has continually questioned the work of US intelligence agencies

(CNN) Sen. Tim Kaine on Thursday criticized President-elect Donald Trump, alleging he is acting like Russian President Vladimir Putin's "defense lawyer" and calling Trump's conduct "suspicious."

"Why does President-elect Trump again and again and again take it upon himself to be Vladimir Putin's defense lawyer rather than listening to and respecting the intelligence professionals of the United States," Kaine told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day" in his first national interview since the 2016 presidential election.

The former Democratic vice presidential nominee, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee which is hold a hearing on hacking Thursday, said that even if Trump believes Russia can be America's ally in the fight against ISIS, he doesn't have to "trash" American intelligence professionals in the process.

"There is something very unusual -- indeed, even sort of suspicious -- about the degree to which he casually kicks aside the intelligence community when he won't even go to the briefings again and again and takes the Assange/Vladimir Putin line on this important question" about whether Russian was behind the election-related hacks, Kaine said.

California Rep. Adam Schiff, a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, said Republicans' confidence in Assange over the intelligence community is "embarrassing."

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