Trump
May Revoke Security Clearance For Brennan, Clapper, Comey, McCabe, &
Rice
* * *
Responding to a question about comments tweeted earlier in the day by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) that former CIA Director Brennan should have his clearance stripped, Sanders replied:
23
July, 2017
Update:
The responses have begun. James Clapper spoke on CNN this afternoon,
calling Trump's
actions "a petty way of retribution."
“Well, it’s interesting news. I’m reading it and learning about it just as you are. I think it’s off the top of my head it’s a sad commentary,”
Clapper said. “For political reasons, this is a petty way of retribution, I suppose for speaking out against the president, which I think, on the part of all of us, are born out of genuine concerns about President Trump.”
“It’s frankly more of a courtesy that former senior officials and the intelligence community are extended the courtesy of keeping the security clearance. Haven’t had a case of using it. And it has no bearing whatsoever on my regard or lack thereof for President Trump or what he’s doing,” he continued.
* * *
President
Trump is exploring ways to strip several former Obama officials of
their security clearances over politicized statements, including John
Brennan, James Clapper, James Comey, Susan Rice, and Andrew McCabe,
according to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Responding to a question about comments tweeted earlier in the day by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) that former CIA Director Brennan should have his clearance stripped, Sanders replied:
"Not only is the President looking to take away Brennan's security clearance, he's also looking into the clearances of Comey, Clapper, Hayden, Rice and McCabe," said Sanders, reading from a prepared statement, "because they've politicized, and in some cases, monetized their public service and security clearances. Making baseless accusations of improper contact with Russia or being influenced by Russia, against the President, is extremely inappropriate."
"The fact that people with security clearances are making these baseless charges provides inappropriate legitimacy to accusations with zero evidence."
Sanders says Trump is considering taking away security clearances from Brennen, Comey, McCabe, Clapper, and Rice "because in some cases they have monetized their security clearances."
Earlier
in the day, Senator Rand Paul tweeted: "Is John Brennan
monetizing his security clearance? Is John Brennan making millions of
dollars divulging secrets to the mainstream media with his attacks on
@realDonaldTrump ?"
Is John Brennan monetizing his security clearance? Is John Brennan making millions of dollars divulging secrets to the mainstream media with his attacks on @realDonaldTrump ?
Brennan, a
senior national security and intelligence analyst for NBC News
and MSNBC, said that President Trump's
comments following the Helsinki summit with Russian President
Vladimir Putin "rises to & exceeds the threshold of “high
crimes & misdemeanors," adding "It was nothing short of
treasonous."
Of course...
Recall: From April 2016 to July 2016, according to leaked stories in the British press, Brennan assembled a multi-agency taskforce that served as the beginnings of a CI probe into the Trump camp. During these months Brennan was “personally briefing” Obama. spectator.org/john-brennans-…
James
Clapper, meanwhile, is an employee of CNN, while former FBI Director
James Comey has been traveling around the country peddling his book,
telling people to vote Democrat - just not "Socialist
Democrat."
- Sarah Sanders announced at her press briefing President Trump is exploring ways to remove clearances of those former intelligence officials critical of him
- Sanders had no details on how they would be removed but she said the administration is 'exploring' options
- She charged the former intelligence officials with using their clearances for political purposes and financial gain
- Those officials include former CIA chief John Brennan, former FBI director James Comey, former deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Andrew McCabe, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former Director of the National Security Agency Michael Hayden, and former National Security Advisor Susan Rice
- Clapper told CNN the move was 'a petty thing to do'
- Comey and McCabe no longer even have clearances
President
Donald Trump is exploring ways to remove the security clearances of
former CIA chief John Brennan, former FBI director James Comey and
other Obama era national security officials who have been critical of
his administration.
White
House press secretary Sarah Sanders made the shocking announcement at
her briefing on Monday and charged the officials with using their
security clearances for political means and financial gain.
Former
deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Andrew McCabe,
former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former
Director of the National Security Agency Michael Hayden, and former
National Security Advisor Susan Rice are also on the White House list
Democrats turn on Comey for tweet warning against the ‘socialist left’
Former
FBI Director James Comey © Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
Former
FBI Director and Trump critic James Comey is being blasted from all
sides for calling on Democrat voters to reject progressive candidates
and embrace “sensible, balanced” mainstream suit-and-tie
politicians.
“Democrats,
please, please don’t lose your minds and rush to the socialist
left,” Comey implored in a tweet on Sunday. “This president and
his Republican Party are counting on you to do exactly that.
America’s great middle wants sensible, balanced, ethical
leadership.”
Days
beforehand, Comey, a registered Republican for most of his adult
life, called for a ‘blue wave’ to sweep Republicans from power in
November’s midterm elections. “This Republican Congress,” he
wrote, “has proven incapable of fulfilling the Founders’ design.”
Comey
has become a figurehead of the anti-Trump #resistance since Trump
fired him unceremoniously last May for his botched handling of the
FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s unauthorized email
server use. However, before he shifted his ire to Trump, many
Democrats blamed Comey’s announcement that the agency was reopening
the Clinton investigation - one week before the 2016 election - for
Clinton’s loss.
Still
bitter about 2016, some critics on Twitter didn’t let the former
agency head forget their beef.
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