Trump quashes security clearance of former CIA chief John Brennan
US President Donald Trump has revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, accusing him of "lying" and blaming his "erratic conduct and behavior". The 62-year-old former intelligence official, who served in the previous Obama administration, is one of the staunchest critics of President Trump and his policies. He was the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director from 2013 to 2017. Here's more.
Sarah Sanders reads out Trump's decision
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders read out a statement from Trump yesterday, saying, the President decided to revoke Brennan's security clearance since he recently has leveraged his high-ranking status with access to sensitive information to make a series of outrageous allegations about Trump administration.
Brennan says he will not relent
Brennan slammed Trump for calling former WH aide 'that dog'
On Tuesday, Brennan strongly criticized Trump for calling former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman "that dog" in a tweet. "It is astounding how often you (Trump) fail to live up to minimum standards of decency and civility. Seems like you'll never understand what it means to be President or a decent person. So disheartening, so dangerous for our Nation," the ex-CIA chief said.
Trump cites examples of Brennan's erratic conduct
Trump said Brennan has a history that calls into question his credibility. He cited a 2014 incident when Brennan had denied to Congress that CIA officials had improperly accessed the computer files of congressional staffers and said the CIA would never do such a thing. However, the CIA's Inspector General had contradicted Brennan directly, concluding that agency officials had indeed improperly accessed the files.
Reviewing govt official's access to classified information: Trump
Trump said he has also begun to review the more general question of the access to classified information by government officials. He said he is evaluating action against the former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former FBI Director James Comey, former head of the NSA Michael Hayden, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, and former President Barack Obama's NSA Susan Rice, and others.
