Trump rips 'wacky' UK envoy following leaked insults

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump tore into Britain's U.S. envoy Tuesday, calling Ambassador Kim Darroch "a very stupid guy" after his secret diplomatic cables critical of the president and his administration were leaked to the press.

"The wacky Ambassador that the U.K. foisted upon the United States is not someone we are thrilled with, a very stupid guy," Trump fumed on Twitter.

"I don’t know the Ambassador but have been told he is a pompous fool. Tell him the USA now has the best Economy & Military anywhere in the World, by far," he added.

Trump on Monday threatened to "no longer deal" with Darroch after the Daily Mail published sensitive memos he sent to his superiors in London in which the diplomat described Trump as "inept," "insecure" and "incompetent."

The British government confirmed the memos' authenticity and has opened an investigation into the source behind the leak.

Among the bombshell comments, Darroch says Trump could be indebted to "dodgy Russians," and warns "we could be at the beginning of a downward spiral... that leads to disgrace and downfall."

"We don't really believe this Administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept," Darroch wrote.

British Trade Minister Liam Fox told BBC Radio that when he sees Trump’s daughter Ivanka in Washington this week, he will apologize for what he called a "most extraordinary and unacceptable" lapse.

Such "malicious leaks" can harm British-U.S. relations and "our wider security interest,” he warned.

The leaks came just weeks after the queen hosted Trump and his family with a 41-gun salute and a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Though controversial, Darroch's personal assessments largely square with many accounts of the Trump administration by insiders in both books and press accounts.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Monday warned that those responsible for leaking the documents will face serious consequences, defending Darroch in the latest leak.

"I don't share the ambassador's assessment of either the US administration or relations with the US administration, but I do defend his right to make that frank assessment and it's very important that our diplomats all over the world continue to be able to do so," Hunt told Sky News.