Posted on 08/18/2018 7:15:49 AM PDT by centurion316
I do not share my friend David French’s theoretical constitutional concerns about the president’s revocation of security clearances — at least when it comes to former government officials who become media commentators and have no demonstrable need for a security clearance. Like David and many other analysts, though, I think it’s a big mistake to politicize the revocation of security clearances.
Still, I am even less of a fan of the politicization of intelligence itself. And that justifies the revocation of former CIA director John Brennan’s clearance.
As is often the case with President Trump, the right thing has been done here for the wrong reason, namely, for vengeance against a political critic who is always zealous and often unhinged. That a decision amounts to political payback does not necessarily make it wrong on the merits, but its in-your-face pettiness is counterproductive, undermining its justification.
Brennan’s tweets about Trump are objectively outrageous. To compare, I think some of former CIA director Mike Hayden’s tweets are ill-advised — particularly this one, comparing Trump’s border-enforcement policy to Nazi concentration camps. But General Hayden is making anti-Trump political arguments, not intimating that he has knowledge of Trump corruption based on his (Hayden’s) privileged access to intelligence information (which he may or may not still have — I haven’t asked him). Hayden is absolutely entitled to speak out in that vein. Generally, he is a voice of reason even when one disagrees with him, and — let’s be real here — even his edgier tweets are pretty tame compared to the president’s.
Brennan, by contrast, speaks out in a nod-and-a-wink manner, the undercurrent of which is that if he could only tell you the secrets he knows, you’d demand Trump’s impeachment forthwith. (See, e.g., tweets here, here, and here.)
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Brennan is no longer employed by the U.S. government.
Terminate the security clearance.
Same solution for the rest of the ex-employees.
That’s the idea of politics, the right thing gets done in the end for the most expedient reason.
Trump did it for all the right reasons.
This writer is a dip-stick.
Someone came up with an interesting point. The tradition of those leaving keeping their clearances was from an area where these employees were non-political. Now, these government agencies and workers have become weaponized as an opposing political force. Of course they shouldn't have security clearances when they leave.
Trump’s mistake was to wait this long to revoke Brennan’s clearance and he needs to add to the list.
As for McCarthy, he is one of the best voice about the deep state co-conspiracy and how it has operated.
Once someone appears on television as a political commentator, the security clearance should be revoked. I am completely comfortable with that. Having those powers gives someone an imprimatur of power. “I have secret knowledge, so you must listen to me. No I cannot tell you what I know, but trust me, it’s big.” I think it should go for people of both parties, and it should include anyone who serves as a source for media stories, not just TV talking heads. If these things are secrets, they should be secret.
Our entire intel system consisting of many agencies (CIA, NSA, FBI, each of armed forces, and more) are in desperate need of review, restructure and revamping so that the job can be done properly. Currently they are falling over each other, are criminally biased, and failing in their mission, IMO.
Here is an example: https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/08/15/botched-cia-communications-system-helped-blow-cover-chinese-agents-intelligence/
You do you realize that the number one weapon for these deep state conspirators has been secrecy, using classified information to keep their crimes undetected by the Congress and now by the White House while at the same time leaking classified information to advance their scheme. The evidence of their crimes are behind those black marks on redacted documents.
Agreed!
However it is the National Review....the Faux Republican/Conservative Never-Trumper rag.....
They could never publish something nice about Trump without a caveat....
McCarthy misses the bigger picture here, and is therefore wrong that President Trump did this for the wrong reason.
The trap for Republicans is that Democrats know they can be abusive first and get away with it, because Republicans will reject "whataboutism," and insist on taking the high road in contrast, essentially giving the Democrats a free "kick me" every time.Nothing will change unless liberals feel the blowback.
What people like McCarthy must accept is that Democrats get away with another free kick me against Republicans; they get to do the crime to advance their agenda and the Republicans are forced to stay on the high road.
Brennan gets to say his lies, and it's President Trump who is called out for pushing back? Brennan gets the free "kick me" against Trump and advances the liberal agenda for another day?
President Trump is saying "No," and liberals are squealing at the blowback.
Finally.
-PJ
It’s all a game.
The intel agency bullies are just doing their victim act - oh poor us, the big bad Trumpie kicked us!
Like any gang of bullies, they feign injury when their victim rightfully retaliates.
Brennan got where he is by being a thug and a bully. He had no apparent special capabilities when he was hired into the CIA other then having an unmarketable liberal arts degree. He had no military experience, no police experience, nada.
What he did have was a bad attitude and a willingness to push other people to get his way. And joining an agency that has carte blanche to break laws with impunity and terrorize anyone else opposed to them, he obviously decided that he himself embodied that immunity.
So he thought he could run the same game on Trump, the President.
Wrong.
Just ran into a guy who’s been playing the game just as hard for even longer and in a world where he didn’t have the entire armed weight of the government behind him.
Brennan, Mueller, Comey, McCabe, Strozk...all of them consitute a self appointed Nobility that considers itself above the Congress, above the President, above any elected official.
And being deluded by this system that enables them, they go off the deep end. And that’s how they lose the game: they lack moderation. Because they think they are immune from consequence.
Brennan was abusing the system because he thought he was above it, that his position enabled him. But that position was only granted by the electorate, and it’s not an entitlement or position of nobility.
He’s just John Q. Citizen again and he can’t get over that.
Does one need a reason to revoke security clearances of people gone by?
It’s not being revoked for the wrong reason. Sounds like you’re buying in to the MSM’s tripe that it’s because Brennan critizes PDJT. If that were true, hundreds of clearances would’ve been pulled 18 months ago.
He’s a whore, selling his “booty” for personal gain.
Horse's ass NeverTrumper Andrew McCarthy can't stop being wrong, even when he's acting like he's right.
Clarification: Not YOU buying in, but the writer.
“...Security Clearances should be revoked or suspended when the person leaves the job which required them. ..”
In the 60’s when working for Uncle Sam I held a secret clearance. I resigned to take a job in industry. When turning in my credentials and keys, I was advised my secret clearance was being suspended as I no longer was doing the work for which it was intended - or words to that effect. If there is no need, there should be no secret clearance.
This sentence captures the absolute essence of "The Swamp" and exactly why it must be drained. Definitely an early front-runner for Post of the Day, IMO.
Great post. A free nation cannot exist when you have a politicized media hiding behind First Amendment protections conspiring with an intelligence cabal hiding behind national security protections for classified information.
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