Former CIA Director John Brennan warned President Trump that the "protective cocoon" surrounding him is "only temporary" in an ominous tweet defending James Comey.

After Trump tweeted, "Perhaps never in the history of our Country has someone been more thoroughly disgraced and excoriated than James Comey in the just released Inspector General’s Report," Brennan responded by saying Comey "is far more decent, ethical, honest, competent, & patriotic than [Trump] could ever hope to be," and it is only because of Attorney General William Barr and Senate Republicans that he is not in a world of "trouble & hurt."

"But their protective cocoon is only temporary," he added.

Jim Comey is far more decent, ethical, honest, competent, & patriotic than you could ever hope to be. It is only because the AG & Republican Senators refuse to put country above party that you are not in a world of trouble & hurt. But their protective cocoon is only temporary... https://t.co/KWkEKQPxO0 — John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) August 29, 2019

Trump sent his original tweet on Thursday, after the Justice Department inspector general released a report saying the former FBI director's notes memorializing his conversations with Trump were disclosed without authorization "to achieve a personally desired outcome."

The report also found "no evidence that Comey or his attorneys released any of the classified information contained in any of the Memos to members of the media."

The inspector general's report said Comey "failed to live up to this responsibility. By not safeguarding sensitive information obtained during the course of his FBI employment, and by using it to create public pressure for official action, Comey set a dangerous example for the over 35,000 current FBI employees — and the many thousands more former FBI employees — who similarly have access to or knowledge of non-public information."