Congressman Demands Explanation For Stripping Ex-CIA Chief's Security Clearance
Source: NPR
The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee is demanding an explanation of President Trump's decision this week to revoke the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan
In a letter to White House chief of staff John Kelly, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., asked for a detailed briefing on the decision and suggested Trump may have failed to follow proper procedures.
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Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the former chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who sparred with Brennan when he led the CIA, said Trump's decision, "harms our national security and once again shows how petty and thin-skinned President Trump truly is."
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2018/08/16/639223780/revocation-of-ex-cia-directors-clearance-draws-mixed-reaction-from-congress
Ccarmona
(1,180 posts)The Trump is an unhinged paranoid fool. He has changed the locks to the Oval Office, so I have no idea whats going on in there.
BumRushDaShow
(129,062 posts)Link to tweet
TEXT
House OversightDems
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@OversightDems
NEWS ALERT: @RepCummings demands information on Presidents decision to revoke former CIA directors clearance. https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/cummings-demands-information-on-president-s-decision-to-revoke-former-cia
2:10 PM - Aug 16, 2018
Their Press Release -
Aug 16, 2018
Press Release
Washington, D.C. (August 16, 2018) Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly requesting a briefing and documents on the decision to revoke former CIA director John Brennans security clearance.
I am writing to request documents relating to the process used by President Donald Trump to revoke the security clearance of former Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennanand possibly nine other former officialsafter allowing several of his own top White House aides to continue accessing our nations most sensitive secrets while under investigation for criminal activity, Cummings wrote.
In the United States, there is a process set forth in an Executive Order signed by President Bill Clinton and updated by President George W. Bush for awarding, suspending, and if necessary, revoking security clearances.
The Executive Order does not provide for revoking a security clearance because an individual is a political adversary of the President or for using revocation as a tool for political retribution, Cummings wrote. The American people expect the security clearance process to be adjudicated by neutral professionals, following the established standards set forth in the Executive Order.
I am not aware of any changes that President Trump has made to this Executive Order, he continued. However, it is unclear whether the President complied with the Executive Order or Executive Order 13526, which provides a process by which former government officials may continue to have access to information, when deciding to revoke Mr. Brennans security clearance. Instead, it appears that President Trump has invented an entirely new standard for revoking security clearances that has no precedent in any previous or existing Executive Order.
On August 15, 2018, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a statement from President Trump explaining that he revoked Mr. Brennans clearance because he made a series of unfounded and outrageous allegationswild outbursts on the Internet and televisionabout this administration.
As an initial matter, if making outrageous statements or engaging in wild outbursts on the Internet and television were grounds for denying access to classified information, many of the Presidents top aidesindeed, perhaps even the President himselfwould be swept into this unprecedented new category, Cummings wrote.
In contrast, the President has made many other statements explaining that the real reason he revoked Mr. Brennans security clearance was because the President viewed Mr. Brennan as being responsible in some way for Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation.
In todays letter, Cummings explained that President Trump has failed to follow procedures in the Executive Order when giving his own top aides special treatment, allowing them to continue accessing our nations most sensitive secrets even when they were being investigated for criminal activity. For example, President Trump failed to suspend the security clearance of his former National Security Advisor, General Michael Flynn, for several weeks after the Department of Justice informed the White House that General Flynn was under investigation for lying about his secret conversations with the Russians. President Trump also failed to suspend the interim security clearance of Staff Secretary Robert Porter after the FBI provided the White House with multiple derogatory reports about his actions.
In todays letter, Cummings requested a briefing and all related documents and communications on the decision to revoke Mr. Brennans clearance.
https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/cummings-demands-information-on-president-s-decision-to-revoke-former-cia
A copy of the letter is here (PDF) - https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2018-08-16.EEC%20to%20Kelly-WH%20re%20Brennan%20Clearance.pdf
Here is one tweet that Elijah Cummings posted himself yesterday -
Link to tweet
TEXT
Elijah E. Cummings
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@RepCummings
Paul Ryan said the President was just trolling people when he threatened to revoke clearances from former public servants. But the President made good on his promise to retaliate against those who speak out against him. Mr. Ryan should take the Presidents threats seriously.
5:37 PM - Aug 15, 2018
saidsimplesimon
(7,888 posts)He is a public servant under attack and it is my duty to defend him, imo. It is insane to suggest he is an enemy of our Republic when rumpie bows to his russian master, tsar putin.
Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)BlueWI
(1,736 posts)It's all of our responsibility to stand up against political retribution that undermines national security and democratic processes. Those who are entrusted with important committee assignments have a special responsibility to speak up.
I'm not sure if you're saying it's not important to respond, but I certainly think it is.
Lucky Luciano
(11,257 posts)Roland99
(53,342 posts)Glad Im not holding my breath
Mr.Bill
(24,300 posts)He said mean things about me.
blue-wave
(4,356 posts)The orders came from Moscow.
Putin pal Artem Klyushin tweeted out list of security clearances to be revoked 2 days before WH memo
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211007967
We are dealing with treason here folks. Can someone please inform everyone in our nations capitol?