“I taught national security law. Praising dictators is an automatic F in my class," John Hutson. | Getty Retired admiral: Trump hacking comments ‘criminal intent’

Donald Trump’s call on Wednesday for Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails served up fresh meat for the national security speakers at the Democratic convention to slam Trump as unfit to be commander in chief.

Leon Panetta, the former CIA director and defense secretary under President Barack Obama, needled Trump as someone who “gets his foreign policy experience from watching TV and running the Miss Universe Pageant.”


And retired Navy Rear Adm. John Hutson, the Navy’s former top lawyer, accused Trump of “criminal intent.”

“This morning, he personally invited Russia to hack us,” Hutson said in his speech at the Democratic National Convention. “That’s not law and order. That’s criminal intent.”

Panetta and Hutson spoke as the convention turned to national security Wednesday, where Democrats have already been going after Trump for his statements on Russia even before Wednesday’s hacking comments.

“Today, Donald Trump once again took Russia’s side,” Panetta said. “He asked the Russians to engage in American politics. … As someone who was responsible for protecting our nation from cyberattacks, it’s inconceivable to me that any presidential candidate would be this irresponsible.”

And Hutson also accused Trump of seeking to violate international law despite his claim as the “law and order” candidate. “In his words, he endorses torture ‘at a minimum,’” Hutson said.

The retired rear admiral served as the Navy’s top lawyer while in uniform, and after leaving the military he was dean at the University of New Hampshire Law School.

Hutson, a onetime Republican who also spoke at the 2008 Democratic convention, raised Trump’s criticism of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) getting captured in the Vietnam War — saying Trump wasn’t “fit to polish John McCain’s boots” — as well as noted that more than 100 Republican national security experts say they oppose the real estate mogul.

He made sure to riff off Trump’s past praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin, too

“Of Vladimir Putin, he said, and I quote, ‘in terms of leadership he’s getting an A,’” Hutson said. “I taught national security law. Praising dictators was an automatic F in my class.”

