Trump to Brennan: Bring on Your Security Clearance Revocation Lawsuit
President Donald Trump on Monday encouraged former CIA Director John Brennan to sue him over the chief executive’s decision to revoke his security clearance.
“I hope John Brennan, the worst CIA Director in our country’s history, brings a lawsuit,” Trump tweeted. “It will then be very easy to get all of his records, texts, emails and documents to show not only the poor job he did, but how he was involved with the Mueller Rigged Witch Hunt. He won’t sue!”
I hope John Brennan, the worst CIA Director in our country’s history, brings a lawsuit. It will then be very easy to get all of his records, texts, emails and documents to show not only the poor job he did, but how he was involved with the Mueller Rigged Witch Hunt. He won’t sue!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2018
The president added, “Everybody wants to keep their Security Clearance, it’s worth great prestige and big dollars, even board seats, and that is why certain people are coming forward to protect Brennan. It certainly isn’t because of the good job he did! He is a political ‘hack.’”
Everybody wants to keep their Security Clearance, it’s worth great prestige and big dollars, even board seats, and that is why certain people are coming forward to protect Brennan. It certainly isn’t because of the good job he did! He is a political “hack.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2018
In a Sunday interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” host Chuck Todd asked the former Obama administration official if he was seriously considering suing Trump over his decision to revoke his security clearance.
“I have been contacted by a number of lawyers and they have already given me their thoughts about the basis for a complaint, an injunction to try to prevent him from doing this in the future,” Brennan responded.
He continued, “If my clearances and my reputation as I’m being pulled through the mud now, if that’s the price we’re going to pay to prevent Donald Trump from doing this against other people, to me it’s a small price to pay. So I am going to do whatever I can personally to try to prevent these abuses in the future. And if it means going to court, I will do that.”
WATCH: Former CIA Director @JohnBrennan says, 'I have been contacted by a number of lawyers.' #MTP #IfItsSunday pic.twitter.com/BnnpG33kgU
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) August 19, 2018
Brennan mentioned during the interview that some corporate boards (such as for defense contractors) require members to have a security clearance, so Trump’s decision means he would not be eligible to serve in those positions.
The White House announced the security clearance revocation last week, explaining in a written statement by Trump, “Mr. Brennan’s lying and recent conduct, characterized by increasingly frenzied commentary, is wholly inconsistent with access to the Nation’s most closely held secrets and facilitates the very aim of our adversaries, which is to sow division and chaos.”
The announcement pointed to Brennan’s lying about the CIA spying on the Senate in 2014 and about the use of the so-called Steele dossier — funded by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign — in the intelligence community’s assessment regarding Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 presidential race.
A 2014 Wash Post Editorial on what a bad guy and serial liar John Brennan is and why he must be fired: https://t.co/8jBPgnZJtm
— MARK SIMONE (@MarkSimoneNY) August 20, 2018
In a tweet last month, Brennan labeled Trump’s performance during a joint news conference in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin as “treasonous,” adding it rose to the level of “high crimes & misdemeanors.”
Brennan, who was hired by MSNBC/NBC News in February as a military and intelligence analyst, also attacked the president on air, repeating his allegations that Trump had committed treason and called for members of his national security team to step down.
“I cannot understand how the national security team can continue to abide by this and how Mike Pompeo and (John) Bolton and John Kelly can continue in their jobs,” he said.
During his Sunday “Meet the Press” interview, Brennan stood by those allegations that Trump committed treason.
“Maybe it’s my warning training as an intelligence professional,” he said. “I have seen the lights blinking red in terms of what Mr. Trump has done and is doing.”
Brennan claimed his attacks on Trump are not politically motivated.
“I don’t believe I’m being political at all,” he said. “I’m not a Republican, I’m not a Democrat.”
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