Aug 28, 2026 · 46 min · 21 segments
Former CIA Chief Learning Officer Steve Hirsch tells how Russia, China, and Iran exploit the cracks in US intelligence. More From Stephen Hirsch |…
Stephen HirschGuest
Jeff SteinHost
Michael IsikoffHost
Karen GreenbergHost
Uh, we wanna talk a little bit about this Ratcliffe, uh, trip to Moscow, but first, I should note something we haven't heard from is the ODNI and Jay Clayton, and I think that's a good thing, that we haven't [chuckles] heard anything out of the ODNI.
Well, look, uh, um, you know, there's a, uh, there's a long history of [laughs] CIA directors going to Moscow, a long history of US officials giving warnings to the Russians and Putin himself to cut something out.
Um, that's what Obama did, uh, said, allegedly said to Putin at a, uh, G8 summit in China in 2016 when the Russians were caught, um, uh, meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
It's what B- Bill Burns, then the CIA director, said to Putin in, uh, 2022, uh, "We know what you're up to-"
Uh, cut it out." Um, obviously, um, such warnings [laughs] had zero effect on Vladimir Putin.
Uh, so I don't know what, what warning Ratcliffe was, like, giving the Russians.
He didn't get to meet with Putin at all, so, um, uh, I think it can't be dubious that this is gonna have any effect on Russian behavior.
Yeah, but I just do think it has an effect on how the world perceives the United States, which is right now not in the best of light in terms of who it's sharing information with, who it's talking to.
And I just kind of wonder how, uh, and I've, I've heard some, you know, echoes of this, how European powers are viewing this, uh, and not just Ukraine, but Europe in itself.
Like, what actually is going on between the United States and Russia? And this is not a new question, but the secrecy surrounding this, the amount of fissure points that are, that are in the world right now-
I think it's a, I think it's a, a, a, a sign, yeah, of a, of a Europe that's retreating from any kind of trust in the United States anyway.
Uh, we wanna talk a little bit about this Ratcliffe, uh, trip to Moscow, but first, I should note something we haven't heard from is the ODNI and Jay Clayton, and I think that's a good thing, that we haven't [chuckles] heard anything out of the ODNI.
Well, look, uh, um, you know, there's a, uh, there's a long history of [laughs] CIA directors going to Moscow, a long history of US officials giving warnings to the Russians and Putin himself to cut something out.
Um, that's what Obama did, uh, said, allegedly said to Putin at a, uh, G8 summit in China in 2016 when the Russians were caught, um, uh, meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
It's what B- Bill Burns, then the CIA director, said to Putin in, uh, 2022, uh, "We know what you're up to-"
Uh, cut it out." Um, obviously, um, such warnings [laughs] had zero effect on Vladimir Putin.
Uh, so I don't know what, what warning Ratcliffe was, like, giving the Russians.
He didn't get to meet with Putin at all, so, um, uh, I think it can't be dubious that this is gonna have any effect on Russian behavior.
Yeah, but I just do think it has an effect on how the world perceives the United States, which is right now not in the best of light in terms of who it's sharing information with, who it's talking to.
And I just kind of wonder how, uh, and I've, I've heard some, you know, echoes of this, how European powers are viewing this, uh, and not just Ukraine, but Europe in itself.
Like, what actually is going on between the United States and Russia? And this is not a new question, but the secrecy surrounding this, the amount of fissure points that are, that are in the world right now-
I think it's a, I think it's a, a, a, a sign, yeah, of a, of a Europe that's retreating from any kind of trust in the United States anyway.
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