Trump lashes out at critic
US President Donald Trump moved to penalise a sharp critic on Wednesday, revoking the security clearance of Obama-era CIA director John Brennan over what he called unfounded and outrageous allegations.
The Republican president also announced he was evaluating whether other formerly high-ranking officials, all of whom have criticised him, should have their security clearances withdrawn as well.
The decision came a day after Brennan levelled a blistering attack on Trump for his criticism of fired 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.
“Mr Brennan has leveraged his status as a former highranking 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, tweeted 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 prinsenator ciples are worth far more than clearances. I will not relent.”
Trump said he may also revoke the clearances of former national intelligence director James Clapper, former FBI director James Comey, former national security adviser Susan Rice, former national security agency director Michael Hayden and former deputy attorney general Sally Yates.
There were mixed reviews from Republican lawmakers, with some criticising it and others saying Brennan had acted inappropriately.
“I don’t like it at all,” said Bob Corker, referring to Trump’s decision. “It feels very much like a banana republic kind of thing.”
Brennan has frequently appeared on cable TV news shows and sent out tweets lashing Trump’s foreign policy positions. He was particularly biting about the joint news conference with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Helsinki a month ago when Trump indicated he believed Putin’s denials about Russian meddling in the 2016 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 “exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanours’” and was “nothing short of treasonous”.
Ned Price, a security council spokesman for Obama and former CIA official, said Trump was trying to shift public attention away from the critical book by Manigault Newman.
“The White House knows as well as anyone that Brennan, in his criticism of Trump, has never disclosed classified information. And that’s always been the metric when it comes to a revocation of a clearance.”
Hayden, asked to comment, replied: “Meh. With regard to the implied threat today that I could lose my clearance, that will have no impact on what I think, say or write.”
The White House knows Brennan has never disclosed classified information