Story highlights Ex-CIA acting director Michael Morell says Trump is an 'unwitting agent' of Putin

Morell says Putin wants Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton

Washington (CNN) Former CIA acting director Michael Morell again called Donald Trump an "unwitting agent" of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday.

"He wants Donald Trump to win this election, in part because of the romance that we've seen between the two," Morell, a Clinton supporter, said of Trump in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union."

Calling Putin a "thug" and a "bully," Morell said he believes Putin was behind the hack and release of Democratic National Committee emails, noting the Russian president had used similar tactics in nearby countries and Western Europe in the past.

He pointed to Trump's praise for Putin as a strong leader and Trump's assertion that Russia could keep the Crimea region -- which it seized from Ukraine -- as evidence that Putin has succeeded in getting Trump to do his bidding.

"Putin does not believe that Hillary Clinton will be easy on Russia. He believes that she will be tough on Russia," Morell said.

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