Trump Revokes Security Clearance of John Brennan, Former C.I.A. Director

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: New York Times

Trump Revokes Security Clearance of John Brennan, Former C.I.A. Director

By Michael D. Shear
Aug. 15, 2018

WASHINGTON -- President Trump on Wednesday revoked the security clearance of John O. Brennan, the former C.I.A. director under President Barack Obama, citing what he called Mr. Brennan's "erratic" behavior.

The White House had threatened last month to strip Mr. Brennan and two other Obama administration officials -- Susan E. Rice, the former national security adviser; and James R. Clapper Jr., the former director of national intelligence -- of their security clearances. ... Mr. Trump has questioned the loyalties of national security and law enforcement officials and dismissed some of their findings -- particularly the conclusion that Moscow intervened in the 2016 election -- as attacks against him.

Former high-ranking officials in defense, intelligence, diplomacy and law enforcement usually maintain their clearances to advise those still in government. A clearance also serves a more personally profitable function: helping departing officials get jobs at security contractors or similar firms.

Revoking their access to classified information could weaken their ability to work as consultants, lobbyists and advisers in Washington. Nearly 4.1 million people have security clearances, according to the most recent report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, including 1.3 million with top secret clearances.


Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/us/politics/john-brennan-security-clearance.html

---

I know: tweets are not eligible as sources in LBN. Will get AP story when it happens, or one like it.

Fox News has it, but they're verboten in LBN too. They shouldn't be, but that's just me.

Please be patient.

Full disclosure: this is already in GD.

- - - -

Original source:

BREAKING: White House: Trump is revoking security clearance of former Obama administration CIA director John Brennan.

Link to tweet

[awesomerwb1]

1. Wasn't he on Lawrence O'Donnell's show last night?

If so, now we know why twitler is doing this.

[Judi Lynn]

41. He surely was! n/t

[The Conductor]

49. Yes, he was...

Now let's consider that he is EX-CIA. What the hell does he care if he has clearance or not? Twittler imagines he's damaging this public servant, but this has the same effect as the company I used to work for closing my email account after I left. Who gives a crap?

Trump is not exactly a genius.

[former9thward]

54. It would affect his consulting work if he does any.

The government and private companies require security clearances for various projects.

[C_U_L8R]

2. Petty tyrant

trump - what a pathetic clown.

[pangaia]

3. We GOTTA get these authoritarian fuckers out of DC AND the country !!

[Rene]

4. drumpf is a petty little man

[OldManTarHeel]

5. LOLOL @ this POS POTUS Trying to Control the Content & Narrative

Hey Dotard . . . FCUK YOU.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. WaPo breaking link

Trump revokes security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan, White House press secretary says

by Washington Post Staff August 15 at 2:44 PM

President Trump is also reviewing security clearances of other former officials including former FBI director James B. Comey, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during a White House news conference.

Brennan has been a leading critic of Trump.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/08/15/trump-revokes-security-clearance-of-former-cia-director-john-brennan-white-house-press-secretary-says/?utm_term=.3a26b28a702e&wpisrc=al_news__alert-politics--alert-national&wpmk=1

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. "Staff," not anyone in particular. Will link to WaPo account. tnx.

Looks like Mark Berman has it:

About 26 hours after this tweet from former CIA director John Brennan, a regular Trump critic, the White House announces that Trump is revoking his security clearance + criticizes him

Link to tweet

[BumRushDaShow]

11. This whole thing is just petty and juvenile.

But the problem is that because of the position he is in as POTUS, he has the power to do some major damage with his pettiness.

[Butterflylady]

44. Juvenile is the word for it,

"You aren't being nice to me,so you can't play in my sandbox, there how do you like that," says baby trump.

[BumRushDaShow]

53. ...

[appalachiablue]

51. Ian Millhiser, Think Progress today,

"Hey Trump, revoking someone’s security clearance because they criticize you is unconstitutional. This isn't Putin's Russia." Ian Millhiser, Think Progress, Aug. 15, 2018.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announced on Wednesday that President Donald Trump has revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, a persistent critic of the president.
Trump’s action almost certainly violates the Constitution. Brennan, who led the CIA during President Obama’s second term, frequently criticizes Trump in the printed press and during cable news appearances. In a Washington Post op-ed Brennan published last June, Brennan wrote that Trump “has shown highly abnormal behavior by lying routinely to the American people without compunction, intentionally fueling divisions in our country and actively working to degrade the imperfect but critical institutions that serve us.”

Brennan also compared Trump to the “corrupt, incompetent and narcissistic foreign officials who did whatever they thought was necessary to retain power" that Brennan analyzed during his more than three decades at the CIA.
Though the president has broad authority over matters of national security generally and over security clearances in particular, no government official may violate the First Amendment. One of the greatest sins such an official can commit under that amendment is “viewpoint discrimination.” That is, while the president may be allowed to cancel someone’s security clearance for a wide range of reasons, they may not do so because they disagree with the person’s opinions.

The White House, for its part, claims that Trump revoked Brennan’s clearance because of his “erratic conduct.” If, in fact, Brennan has behaved irresponsibly or shown signs of mental decline, that could be a legitimate reason to revoke his clearance. But it is likely that this claim that Brennan behaved erratically is merely a pretext. And even if Trump does have legitimate reasons for stripping Brennan’s clearance, Brennan still may have a constitutional right to a hearing.

In Greene v. McElroy, the Supreme Court considered a defense company executive who was stripped of his security clearance largely due to his ex-wife’s association with people believed to be communists. Chief Justice Earl Warren’s opinion for the Court in Greene is nuanced, and it does not speak exactly to Brennan’s case. But it does suggest that Brennan is entitled to a hearing before he loses his security clearance. Brennan’s biggest problem, however, is not legal. It is political. Sure, it is unconstitutional for Trump to punish a former government employee because that employee criticizes Trump, but it is also unconstitutional to ban people from entering the United States because they are Muslims. That didn’t stop Republicans on the Supreme Court from upholding Trump’s Muslim ban. -More, https://thinkprogress.org/donald-trump-revoking-brennan-security-clearance-is-unconstitutional-c517ce3639ed/

[dem4decades]

7. It's almost as if Putin himself made up the list.

All people that investigate Russia get punished

[usaf-vet]

32. I'd take a bet he did.

IMO.... Someone with a long view is orchestrating Trumps strategy.
Trump left on his own couldn't figure out where to get his next Big Mac.

[jayfish]

8. "Look! Look Over Here!"

"It's shiny"

Works every time with this group.

[BigmanPigman]

19. Yup, DISTRACTION from the "tell all" book coming out.

MSNBC Ali Velshi is calling it a "bag of tricks" that the fake pres has to use when they need to change the subject.

*of course nail critics and Dems to change the conversation.

[riversedge]

10. Clapper, Comey, Hayden, Yates, Rice, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Ohr**jincluded on Rump hit list...

Link to tweet

Daniel Dale
?Verified account @ddale8

Sanders announces that Trump is revoking former CIA director John Brennan's security clearance. Brennan is a critic of his.

Sanders says Brennan has exhibited "erratic conduct and behaviour."
1:36 PM - 15 Aug 2018

243 Retweets
341 Likes
Gigi Barnes-Howell
𝙴𝚕𝚕𝚎✨
Ed
Gull Reef Club
Sarah
Evan Susarret
SonseIntheRoot
Daniel
Scotty 🇺🇸🐐

172 replies 243 retweets 341 likes
dora wiilliams Tweet text




New conversation
Daniel Dale
?Verified account @ddale8
16m16 minutes ago

Sanders says Trump is also reviewing the clearances of various other officials, including former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice and current DOJ official Bruce Ohr. Trump has been complaining about Ohr this month; Ohr had meetings with Christopher Steele.
14 replies 77 retweets 122 likes
Daniel Dale
?Verified account @ddale8
12m12 minutes ago***

Sanders's full list of people about whom Trump is "evaluating action": Clapper, Comey, Hayden, Yates, Rice, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Ohr.

Comey, McCabe no longer have clearance. Sanders says Trump may prevent people who no longer have them from re-obtaining them.
27 replies 103 retweets 143 likes
Daniel Dale
?Verified account @ddale8
6m6 minutes ago

Asked if people who criticize Trump on TV are at greater risk of losing their clearances than people who stay silent, Sanders just says the decision is made on a "case-by-case basis."
16 replies 51 retweets 79 likes

[dalton99a]

15. Goddamn traitor.

[B Stieg]

12. REGISTER and VOTE!

It's the only way to be sure...

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

13. This is just like when Obama revoked Cheney's post presidency clearances because of all that

shit he was talking...... Oh wait. That never happened.

[dalton99a]

16. +1.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

14. Trump revokes security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan, WH press secretary says

Brennan has been a leading critic of Trump.

President Trump is also reviewing security clearances of other former officials including former FBI director James B. Comey, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during a White House news conference.

Link to tweet

Trump revokes security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan, White House press secretary says

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a statement from President Trump revoking ex-CIA director John Brennan's security clearance on Aug. 15. (Reuters)

By Washington Post Staff August 15 at 2:44 PM

President Trump is also reviewing security clearances of other former officials including former FBI director James B. Comey, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during a White House news conference.

Brennan has been a leading critic of Trump.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

[sprinkleeninow]

25. Whatta dingbat. She meant to say her boss exhibited

erratic conduct and behaviour.

💙🇺🇸🌊

[msongs]

17. he no longer works for the govt. why does he need such clearance?

[dalton99a]

18. Former government officials retain their clearances in case they are called upon

by the president or other top administration officials for advice.

[bearsfootball516]

20. He doesn't, really. But it's incredibly petty.

And also sends a message to political enemies. "Don't vocally oppose me, or I'll make like miserable for you."

[at140]

31. So...just don't call him back for consult

why go through the unusual action of stripping his clearance? That is seldom if ever was done in past. Seems petty to me.

[MontanaMama]

37. Dotard doesn't want any adults like Brennan to see

the shit he is pulling behind the scenes.

[jmowreader]

39. To humiliate him. That's the only reason.

[DeminPennswoods]

52. He doesn't

nt

[former9thward]

55. He does if he does consulting work in the private sector.

[DeminPennswoods]

57. He can re-apply

Personally, I'm willing to bet a big reason these higher ups keep their clearances is exactly because it enables them to move seemlessly back and forth between the gov't and private sector. The revolving door is, hands down, my biggest pet peeve.

[at140]

59. more in demand to write a book with clearance?

[a kennedy]

21. and oh look, Omarosa is off the front page right??

guess tRump wins this day.

[John Fante]

24. By making himself look like a wannabes dictator silencing enemies?

The optics of this are TERRIBLE. And Omarosa has hardly gone away.

[Iliyah]

22. As effed up as security clearance is with this present effed up

administration, I'm pretty sure Brennan and others will get the USA's pertinent information from other resources. In other words, I believe most countries do not trust the USA.

Secondly, they have to make way for Russia.

[mchill]

23. Feeling sick to my stomach

That's the only way I can describe it. This is beyond.....

[JohnnyRingo]

26. If "erratic behavior" is the reason...

...Trump should have the security clearance of a scout leader. I bet even Sean Hannity has access to classified docs.

This is another step to dictatorship. Eliminate critics to the White House and move to unchecked exclusive power. If no one but Trump's staff is privy to classified info, no one will know what goes on behind the scenes.

[The Liberal Lion]

27. Doesn't take a security clearance to know trump is a traitor and an enemy of the state

And that's all that matters at this point in time. Traitor and enemy. Say it until you know it.

[George II]

28. President Snowflake

[sdfernando]

29. I am 100% sure the orange pustule

Meant to site it as “erotic behavior” note”erratic”

[Old Vet]

30. And Jared and Ivanka keep there security clearances............

[jcgoldie]

33. I know this is some banana republic shit but...

Seems to me if dumbass Trump is wasting his time and political capital on shit like this then we won that round.

[Marthe48]

34. Just go at the russian asset harder

take off the gloves and go after him. We can pick up the pieces later. While there are pieces. Much longer and we'll have smithereens :/

[Corgigal]

35. Someone sounds nervous

and doing things that don't really matter. Sign away fat man/child.

[nwduke]

36. Putin?

Now we know what happened at the Helsinki private meeting! Donnie was getting lessons on how to retaliate against political foes. Soon, he’ll be getting lessons on how to use polonium! What a disgrace to our country! Get out and vote people! Stop this insanity!

[colorado_ufo]

43. Nope. It was more than that.

Trumps body language says so. He came out of that meeting a beaten man.

[area51]

58. +1

Somebody got their ass whipped in the meeting, and it wasn't Putin:

[sinkingfeeling]

38. Who the f**k made IQ45 king of the world? I detest that pig!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

40. This seems to have been the straw that broke the camel's back:

It’s astounding how often you fail to live up to minimum standards of decency, civility, & probity. Seems like you will never understand what it means to be president, nor what it takes to be a good, decent, & honest person. So disheartening, so dangerous for our Nation.

Link to tweet

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

42. A warning to all who criticize the dotard

[Jarqui]

45. Can't wait until they revoke his presidency

GOTV

[Capperdan]

46. And the hidden microphones keep taping

inside the situation room, so what good is a a security clearance now anyway?

[KPN]

47. What a small minded vindictive peckerhead this pig is!

While this has some effect on Brennan, it is minute, and just goes to show the extent of this foul human being's petty vindictiveness. He would actually punish you and I for the things we've typed here at DU if he could.

[ffr]

48. Conseяvatives did this.

May they hang their heads in true anit-American shame!

[DeminPennswoods]

50. Trump's an a$$, but this is much ado about nothing

Political appointees come and go. There is absolutely no reason for any former appointee, retired civil servant or retired military to keep their security clearance once they leave government service. It's a ridiculous argument that somehow the current appointees can't reach out to discuss hypotheticals or get insight from former gov't employees. No revocation of security clearance can make Brennan forget what he knows. If there is a need for continuity, then there are many career civil servants at CIA, etc, to provide it.

Fwiw, my experience in DoD was that when a new boss came in, he/she had no interest in what the old boss did. The new boss was interested in making his/her unique mark and legacy.

If these former federal employees get a job that requires a security clearance, they can re-apply.

We should also remember that Brennan was CIA director and implemented the Bush/Cheney policy of
"extraordinary rendition" and torture in violation of the Geneva Conventions. It's good Brennan's regularly bashing Trump, but Brennan's pretty much a war criminal.

[The_jackalope]

56. Brennan is a honey badger. He don't care.

Link to tweet

"This action is part of a broader effort by Mr. Trump to suppress freedom of speech & punish critics. It should gravely worry all Americans, including intelligence professionals, about the cost of speaking out. My principles are worth far more than clearances. I will not relent."

[Bayard]

60. So why aren't Obama and Clinton on his Enemies list?

At this point, its not as far-fetched as it used to be that he will start locking up journalists like Rachel and Lawrence.

The man is dangerously insane, and he has the keys to the candy store.

[sandensea]

61. Revenge politics. Can't expect anything better from the orange Idi Amin.

Our intelligence professionals will have the last word on this, no doubt about it.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

62. I'm surprised this President, or any President

gets to decide who has or doesn't have a security clearance..............I'd think that would be the purview of NSA/FBI?