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White House Revokes Former CIA Director John Brennan's Security Clearance in Official Statement

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The White House announced on Wednesday that President Donald Trump has revoked former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance.

In a statement read by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, Trump said, “As the head of the executive branch and commander-in-chief, I have the unique, constitutional responsibility to protect the nation’s classified information, including by controlling access to it.”

“Today, in fulfilling that responsibility, I have decided to revoke the security clearance of John Brennan, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.”

The president went on to explain certain high-ranking previous officials retain their security clearance after leaving office so current officials can consult with them on matters where they might have special insight, and as a professional courtesy.

“Neither of these justifications supports Mr. Brennan’s continued access to classified information,” Trump declared.

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“First, at this point in my administration, any benefits that senior officials might glean from consultations with Brennan are now outweighed by the risks posed by his erratic conduct and behavior,” he said.

“Second, the conduct and behavior far exceeded the limits of any professional courtesy that may have been due him.”

In a Twitter post last month, Brennan — who served as CIA director under President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017 — 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.”

In other words, the Obama administration CIA director was saying Trump should be impeached.

In the full statement, available here via Fox News, Trump also cited times when Brennan publicly lied about the activities of the country’s main intelligence service.

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“Mr. Brennan has a history that calls in to question his objectivity and credibility. In 2014, for example, he denied to Congress that CIA officials under his supervision had improperly accessed the computer files of congressional staffers. He told the Council on Foreign Relations that the CIA would never do such a thing. The CIA’s Inspector General however contradicted Mr. Brennan directly, concluding unequivocally that agency officials had indeed improperly accessed congressional staffers files. More recently, Mr. Brennan told Congress that the intelligence community did not make use of the so-called Steele dossier in an assessment regarding the 2016 election, an assertion contradicted by at least two other senior officials in the intelligence community, and all of the facts.

“Additionally, 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.  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.

Brennan — who was hired by MSNBC/NBC News in February as a military and intelligence analyst — also attacked the president on air, including calling for members of his national security team to step down.

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“I cannot understand how the national security team can continue to abide by this and how Mike Pompeo and Bolton and John Kelly can continue in their jobs,” he said.

Brennan took shots at Trump this week via Twitter.

“It’s astounding how often you fail to live up to minimum standards of decency, civility, & probity,” he wrote on Tuesday

“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’s sentiments were in response to Trump tweeting he was glad that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly fired former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman.

Last month, Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul urged Trump to pull Brennan’s security clearance, arguing that the Obama administration official is monetizing his status.

In a speech from the Senate floor, Paul said, “My goodness, we now have the former head of the CIA, John Brennan, galavanting across TV, now being paid for his opinion, to call the president treasonous.”

“This is crazy partisanship that is driving this.”

In addition to Brennan, according to The Hill, Sanders announced that Trump is reviewing security clearances for former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former FBI Director James Comey, former National Security Administration Director Michael Hayden, and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, among others.

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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