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Trump Moves To Strip Comey, Brennan, Others Of Security Clearances In Latest Crackdown On Dissent
Donald Trump wasn't particularly enamored with the feedback he received from the U.S. intelligence community after last week's summit in Helsinki with Vladimir Putin.
Trump's joint press conference with the Russian president was a disaster from start to finish, but the quote that drew the most ire from lawmakers and intelligence officials was this bit about Kremlin meddling in the 2016 election:
My people came to me, Dan Coats came to me, some others, they said they think it’s Russia. I
trump is making Richard Nixon look like a pretty level-headed, fair, just, wise, and consensus-seeking leader.
“Security clearances allow former officials to work with companies on classified programs and provide advice to those firms and sometimes to government agencies. Stripping their clearances could harm their ability to work as consultants and advisers in Washington.”
Damn good idea. Not before time. Should happen automatically on leaving government service – and not just in the U.S.
Indeed. Although it’s an unfortunate development, and although I am not surprised to see you ilk cheering on the creeping authoritarianism, it does mark a useful precedent to justify stripping Trump of his own privileges upon his departure from office.
It’s amazing these incompetents ever had a security clearance.
Debriefing and revoking security clearances for former government officials, such as presidents, ambassadors, intelligence agency chiefs, congressmen/women and cabinet officials is not an across-the-board a good idea. These people are a potential source of knowledge and experience to even an administration entirely opposed to their earlier service. Doesn’t trump want to know what these folks know? Once debriefed, they legally cannot divulge to their new counterparts any information that is still deemed classified. Has he thought of that? (Maybe he has, and he wants to prevent their testimony!)
Additionally, even if they continue to hold their clearances, they still cannot legally divulge any information that remains classified, unless it is to properly briefed holders of the appropriate clearance. They cannot monetize sensitive information. They can, and will, monetize their inside the government experience, as will members of trump’s administration in the years to come.
Sure donald your security clearance is Vlad’s ticket to as much classified shit you can get your tiny little hands on.
VOTE.