Washington (CNN) May 15, 2017 Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Sunday that he thinks US institutions are under assault from President Donald Trump. "I think in many ways our institutions are under assault both externally -- and that's the big news here is the Russian interference in our election system -- and I think as well our institutions are under assault internally," "The founding fathers, in their genius, created a system of three co-equal branches of government and a built-in system of checks and balances," Clapper said. "I feel as though that is under assault and is eroding."