Former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper have openly criticized President Trump after he cast doubts on the intelligence community’s findings about Russian meddling in the 2016 election. During a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denials and questioned the conclusions of the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies. Trump said about Putin, “Every time he sees me, he says, 'I didn't do that,’ and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it.” Trump went on to describe Brennan and Clapper as political hacks. Trump later walked back his remarks, saying he accepts the opinion of the U.S. intelligence agencies.