Trump’s Security Clearance Revocation Just Came Back To Bite Him On Sunday TV

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The fallout from U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance is continuing this week. The move represents, to many, the president dragging his office yet again to the level of punitive retribution against his enemies — and former CIA Director Michael Hayden wants it to be abundantly clear that he’s not on board with such an administration. If Trump wants to revoke his security clearance too then so be it, he says.

CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Hayden this weekend if he would be “honored” to have his clearance revoked as retired U.S. Navy Admiral William McRaven indicated he personally would be in a recent open letter.

Hayden replied:

‘To be included in that group, sure. Frankly, if his not revoking my clearance gave the impression that I’ve somehow moved my commentary in a direction more acceptable to the White House, I would find that very disappointing and frankly unacceptable.’

He added, speaking of the surge in criticism of the White House from those involved with the national intelligence and security community that he’s a part of:

‘Our complaint is not just about this. It’s about the whole tone, tenor, and behavior of the administration.’

Watch below.

Hayden has himself personally spoken out against the White House’s rollout of Brennan’s clearance revocation already.

He commented:

‘The way that Sarah Huckabee Sanders rolled this out was almost in a tone to be threatening to the rest of us. In other words, it looked to me like an attempt to make us changing the things we are saying… it’s not going to have that effect… It had everything to do with that they wanted us to be quiet, or at least punish us for criticizing the president. It’s almost as if they wanted us to at least implicitly sign a no disparagement agreement.’

Again though, Hayden made it clear that no looming threat of a revoked security clearance would, in his estimation, stop either himself or Brennan from speaking out against falsity peddled by the White House.

He is among those to have specifically been named by the White House as under consideration to have their clearances revoked next. Others include former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

He, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and others signed onto a joint statement condemning Brennan losing his security clearance in the immediate aftermath of the move.

The statement reads, in part:

‘[W]e all agree that the president’s action regarding John Brennan and the threats of similar action against former officials has nothing to do with who should and should not hold security clearances — and everything to do with an attempt to stifle free speech.’

Other officials besides Clapper and Brennan to sign on include former CIA Directors William Webster, George Tenet, and Leon Panetta.

It’s hardly as though Trump is allowing for any of their criticism to have any credibility in his world, however.

Saturday, he tweeted that Brennan “will go down as easily the WORST [CIA director] in history,” adding that “since getting out, he has become nothing less than a loudmouth, partisan, political hack who cannot be trusted with the secrets to our country!”

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His administration also has been reported to have a number of pre-written security clearance revocations ready to go.

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