When Donald Trump took away former CIA director John Brennan’s security clearance, he drew the criticism of many people, and retired Admiral William “Bill” McRaven was the most powerful voice against the command-in-chief in the blistering op-ed he wrote. The story does not end there, though.
Just a few days after his public criticism of the man in the Oval Office, Admiral McRaven resigned from the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Board. Pentagon spokesperson Heather Babb told CNN in a statement:
‘I can confirm that Admiral (ret) William H. McRaven resigned from the Defense Innovation Board, effective August 20, 2018. The Department appreciates his service and contribution on the board.’
The purpose of the Defense Innovation Board is to provide the Pentagon with an independent advisory committee. This committee provides especially important resources to the technology and innovation aspects of the military.
The Pentagon confirmed the McRaven, who was the previous head of Special Operations Command, officially resigned only four days after his Washington Post op-ed, which was extremely harsh toward the president for revoking Brennan’s clearance.
McRaven considers Brennan to be:
‘One of the finest public servants I have ever known. Few Americans have done more to protect this country than John. He is a man of unparalleled integrity, whose honesty and character have never been in question, except by those who don’t know him. Therefore, I would consider it an honor if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.’
The admiral criticized the president in his op-ed for using his authority of the security clearance system as a weapon against his critics:
‘Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation. If you think for a moment that your McCarthy-era tactics will suppress the voices of criticism, you are sadly mistaken. The criticism will continue until you become the leader we prayed you would be.’
At that point, he urged POTUS:
‘Therefore, I would consider it an honor if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.’
Then, McRaven added what a good leader should be, in case Trump wanted to know:
‘Like most Americans, I had hoped that when you became president, you would rise to the occasion and become the leader this great nation needs. A good leader tries to embody the best qualities of his or her organization. A good leader sets the example for others to follow. A good leader always puts the welfare of others before himself or herself.’
Earlier in 2018, the admiral turned in his resignation as chancellor of the University of Texas at Austin. According to CNN:
‘(McRaven is) widely respected among the tens of thousands of active and retired special operators.’
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
