White House drafts more clearance cancellations demanded by Trump
Source: WaPo
The White House has drafted documents revoking the security clearances of current and former officials whom President Trump has demanded be punished for criticizing him or playing a role in the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to senior administration officials.
Trump wants to sign most, if not all of them, said one senior White House official, who indicated that communications aides, including press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Bill Shine, the newly named deputy chief of staff, have discussed the optimum times to release them as a distraction during unfavorable news cycles.
Some presidential aides echoed concerns raised by outside critics that the threatened revocations smack of a Nixonian enemies list, with little or no substantive national security justification. Particular worry has been expressed inside the White House about Trumps statement Friday that he intends very quickly to strip the clearance of current Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
-snip-
The senior White House official acknowledged that the step against Brennan had been prepared in late July, when Sanders first said Trump was considering it. But the decision to take that step was made this week to divert attention from nonstop coverage of a critical book released by fired Trump aide Omarosa Manigault Newman.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-intelligence-officials-rebuke-trump-for-pulling-brennans-security-clearance/2018/08/17/ea8382f2-a20d-11e8-8e87-c869fe70a721_story.html
Not at all surprised by this, especially after reading in a WaPo story last night that Trump thought his revocation of Brennan's security clearance had made him look good.
For Trump, this is the WH equivalent of snarling "You're fired!" on his very phony reality TV show.
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)who would trust them
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)have given their lives to defending America, then you know they are completely corrupted. No hope of them ever standing up for American democracy. They have shit their own beds, damn them.
FailureToCommunicate
(13,968 posts)him. No clearance, no reviewing their files for testimony, no witness.
Fullduplexxx
(7,811 posts)Verteran spy hunters leaving us vulnerable
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)Mueller has a plan.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)bucolic_frolic
(42,478 posts)NBachers
(16,964 posts)NCjack
(10,279 posts)central scrutinizer
(11,609 posts)Which apparently is not all that vital and can wait until a distraction is needed. Fucking bullshit!
Fullduplexxx
(7,811 posts)Skraxx
(2,962 posts)highplainsdem
(48,650 posts)cstanleytech
(26,026 posts)our president signs revokes the security clearances for every Repugnant in the private sector while restoring it to those Trump took it away from.
emulatorloo
(43,922 posts)I figured as much. Disgusting.