National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster was critical, even confrontational, about Russia in a timely interview with Hugh Hewitt that aired this weekend on MSNBC. In it, he attacks Putin at length as a propagandist and disinformation agent, a supporter of murderous regimes, and a leader who acts against the interests of his own people in his lust for power and his goal of destroying the power of Europe and the United States.

McMaster is also the current favorite target of hate from the more rabid Trumpists. What a coincidence!

One of the most quotable lines was in answer to Hewitt’s question about whether or not President Trump really understands the nature and threat of Russia. Watch:

“There have to be consequences,” he says. We’ll see.

He doesn’t actually answer whether President Trump has a “clear-eyed” understanding of Russia and Putin, except to say that, generally, “everyone” understands that Putin is Russia.

McMaster acknowledges the “attack on our election” too, which is something the President remains soft on while his supporters and fans outright deny it. Vehemently, angrily deny it.

MCMASTER: You have an autocratic regime and an individual who has done an extraordinarily effective job at consolidating power. You have I think someone who has acted in a way that you know, I’m not the best judge of this maybe, but it is not in the interest of the Russian people. And you see that with the reaction from the world in terms of the sanctions that are placed on Russia and a recognition that Russia must play a much more responsible role in the world if it’s going to be a full-fledged welcomed member of the international community. And we’re talking obviously about the annexation of Crimea, the invasion of Ukraine here.

HEWITT: The attack on our election.

MCMASTER: but also the attack on our election, the very sophisticated campaign of subversion and disinformation and propaganda that is ongoing every day in an effort to break apart Europe and that pit political groups against each other, right? To sew dissension and conspiracy theories. And of course the support for this murderous regime in Syria, and its support for really Iran’s objectives in the Middle East. So I think obviously for this range of destabilizing behavior there has to be consequences. Does that prevent us from cooperating with them to maybe begin to resolve the Syrian civil war and end at least a portion of that human suffering or where else do our interests align? Certainly they should align on North Korea.

It’s a long interview, and you can see the whole thing below. Hewitt did an excellent job. Your big takeaway should be that McMaster knows what he is talking about and is a serious person. An adult. Compare his thoughtfulness to the insipid idiocy of his loudest critics on Twitter (Thernovitch) for a reality check.

All four parts are available at the YouTube account above.

Hopefully we’ll hear about how Putin is using state propaganda on the next broadcast of Trump TV.