President Donald Trump has revoked the security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan, saying he used his access to classified data to “sow division and chaos” about the Trump administration, the White House has announced.
The Trump administration is also looking into revoking the clearances of a number of former officials, including former FBI director James Comey and recently fired FBI agent Peter Strzok, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters on Wednesday.
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According to a statement by Trump, “any benefits that senior officials might glean from consultations with Mr. Brennan are now outweighed by the risks posed by his erratic conduct and behavior. Second, that conduct and behavior has tested and far exceeded the limits of any professional courtesy that may have been due to him.”
Last month, after Brennan accused Trump of “treason” over the Helsinki summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House announced it would look at revoking the clearances of the former CIA chief and other senior officials who have parlayed their status in the Obama administration into jobs as media critics of Trump.
Brennan joined NBC News as “senior national security and intelligence analyst” in February. His criticism of Trump on air and on Twitter has gone beyond questioning the president’s policies, instead focusing on claims he is unfit for office.
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