America's top intel official said his surprised reaction to news of a second Putin summit wasn't meant to be 'disrespectful

Dan Coats, the Director of National Intelligence, said in a statement Saturday that he did not intend to be disrespectful when he expressed surprise over a second summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Coats had learned of the news on Thursday in the middle of a live interview, and responded, "OK. That's gonna be special."Coats said Saturday his response was "admittedly awkward" and "was in now way meant to be disrespectful or criticize the actions of the president."The top US intelligence official said Saturday he meant no disrespect to President Donald Trump in a televised interview discussing the summit with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said in a statement that his Thursday comments at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado were not intended to be critical of the president's handling of the summit.Coats had learned mid-interview that talks were underway for Putin to visit the White House this fall at Trump's invitation, and didn't conceal his surprise."Say that again," Coats said when MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell informed him of the breaking news."OK. That's gonna be special," he said.Coats had already been under scrutiny since he said he wished Trump had not met one-on-one with the Russian leader and expressed dismay that the president had publicly undermined US intelligence agencies."My admittedly awkward response was in no way meant to be disrespectful or criticize the actions of the president," Coats said in his statement.SEE ALSO:'Sleepless, sick, and terrified': Heartbreaking testimony from immigrant children describe their experiences in border facilitiesDON'T MISS:Trump's family separation crisis has reportedly cost tens of millions of dollars and taken funds away from health programsJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Super-Earths are real and they could be an even better place for life than Earth
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