Russia

January 1, 2026

Ex-CIA chief details Putin’s manipulation of ‘incredibly naïve’ Trump’

During the final months of his life, the late conservative Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) wasn’t shy about attacking U.S. President Donald Trump over his dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. McCain viewed Putin as a dangerous authoritarian and believed that Trump was allowing himself to be manipulated by the former KGB agent.Rob Dannenberg, former chiefs of operations for the CIA Counterterrorism Center and an ex-CIA station chief in Moscow, during the 1990s, has similar views.In an interview with the UK-based iPaper published on New Year’s Day 2026, Dannenberg emphasized that Putin is…