It’s been long overdue, but former CIA Director John Brennan has FINALLY had his security clearance revoked.
While it would be common sense to revoke the security clearance of anyone fired from an intelligence position, that’s somehow not the standard procedure in America.
The media will undoubtedly chalk up Brennan’s revoked security clearance to a personal vendetta from President Donald Trump, but Trump was hardly the only one calling to have that access revoked. “Is John Brennan monetizing his security clearance? Is John Brennan making millions of dollars divulging secrets to the mainstream media with his attacks on Donald Trump?” Rand Paul asked last month. He then said he’d be meeting with Trump to recommend revoking Brennan’s clearance.
BIG question for John Brennan, who has become such a vocal spokesman. Did you receive any secret info on candidate Trump or his campaign from European or British intelligence sources? Brennan should be brought before Congress & made to testify under oath, NOW!
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) June 7, 2018
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the announcement. “Historically, former heads of intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been allowed to retain access to classified information after their government service so that they can consult with their successors regarding matters about which they may have special insights and as a professional courtesy. Neither of these justifications supports Mr. Brennan’s continued access to classified information,” she said.
“I’ve exercised my constitutional authority to deny Mr. Brennan access to classified information,” she concluded.
Sanders also said the White House would be reviewing the clearances of James Comey, Jim Clapper, Michael Hayden, Sally Yates, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Susan Rice, and Bruce Orr, all of which have played a hand in the Spygate scandal.
Watch below:
.@PressSec quoting @POTUS on revoking John Brennan's security clearance: "At this point in my administration any benefits that senior officials might glean from consultations with Mr. Brennan are now outweighed by the risks posed by his erratic conduct and behavior." pic.twitter.com/tbS0GIVqe3
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 15, 2018
Here were the reactions across political lines:
NBC immediately editorializes breaking news. pic.twitter.com/MCNUcpXyhX
— Jordan Schachtel (@JordanSchachtel) August 15, 2018
Breaking: DNI Coats – the nation’s senior-most Intelligence official – was NOT consulted on Trump decision to revoke Fmr CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance – a source with knowledge tells me.
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) August 15, 2018
Oh, boy. That’ll show him!?https://t.co/4OqR2mM3SB
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) August 15, 2018
A DANGEROUS AND CHILLING MOMENT: The White House is stripping clearance from @JohnBrennan and reviewing it for @GenMhayden, @SallyQYates, and other Trump critics.This is a raw partisan vendetta that will be met with sycophancy from the GOP leadership. Meanwhile, Putin is coddled.
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) August 15, 2018
This guy is an absolute disgrace.
He abused his power and colluded with foreign intelligence to frame the Trump team. He will be remembered only as the stain to the United States that he was. https://t.co/0n2yPQeFOZ— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) August 15, 2018
As we’ve documented yesterday, when it comes to the origins of the Trump/Russia investigation, Brennan was the man behind the curtain. Brennan played a large role in relaying British intelligence on the Trump campaign to the FBI (a form of “information laundering,”).
The British intelligence agency GCHQ had been gathering intelligence on members of the Trump campaign (which they claim was accidental), but certainly, it wasn’t accidental when the head of the GCHQ, Robert Hannigan, flew down to Washington to share that intelligence with Brennan in the summer of 2016.
Brennan had also received information from “an intelligence agency of one of the Baltic States” earlier in April. Brennan then was able to use the GCHQ’s (and Baltic) information to press the FBI into launching a counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign.
Brennan is the fired intelligence figure behind the greatest witch hunt in modern American political history, and yet liberals still think he deserves clearance. Any reason to oppose Trump is good for them, I suppose.