Trump revokes clearance of ex-CIA boss Brennan

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US President Donald Trump moved to penalize a sharp critic on Wednesday, revoking the security clearance of Obama-era CIA Director John Brennan for making what he called "a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations" about his administration.

The Republican president, in a statement read to reporters by White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, also announced he was evaluating whether other former high-ranking officials, all of whom have criticized him, should have their security clearances withdrawn as well.

The decision came a day after Brennan, who headed the US Central Intelligence Agency under Democratic President Barack Obama, leveled a blistering attack against Trump for the president’s tweeted criticism of former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman, who wrote a book critical of Trump.

"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," Brennan wrote.

Trump, without mentioning specific comments made by Brennan, said the former CIA leader had engaged in "frenzied commentary" and had sought to "sow division and chaos" about the Trump administration.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the revocation of the security clearance of John Brennan in a briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, the US, August 15, 2018. /VCG Photo

"Mr. Brennan has recently leveraged his status as a former high-ranking official with access to highly sensitive information to make a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations – wild outbursts on the internet and television – about this administration," Trump said.

Brennan, in a tweet, said he would not back down.

"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," he said.

Screenshot of the official twitter account of John Brennan

Trump said he may also revoke the clearances of other critics, including former US national intelligence director James Clapper, former FBI Director James Comey, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice, former National Security Agency director Michael Hayden and former deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, among others.

Also on the list was Bruce Ohr, a current Justice Department official in the criminal division.

Brennan a frequent critic of Trump

Republican lawmakers gave mixed reviews to Trump’s decision, with some criticizing it and others saying Brennan had acted inappropriately with his comments about the president.

"I don't like it at all," said Republican Senator Bob Corker, referring to Trump's decision. "It feels very much like a banana republic kind of thing."

Brennan has frequently appeared on cable television news shows and sent out lashing tweets to attack Trump’s foreign policy positions.

Screenshot of the official twitter account of John Brennan

He was particularly biting about the president's joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki a month ago. Trump said he tended to believe Putin's denials about Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election despite the US intelligence community view that Moscow was to blame.

Brennan suggested in a tweet that Trump could be impeached, saying his performance in Helsinki "rises to & exceeds the threshold of 'high crimes & misdemeanors'" and was "nothing short of treasonous."

High-ranking government officials sometimes retain their security clearances after leaving office, allowing them the ability to provide advice as needed to their successors.

America's national public radio NPR explains that millions of Americans hold security clearances, many of them in civilian jobs that range from naval shipyards to the national nuclear enterprise.

Source(s): Reuters