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 ...
I thought this was an excellent analysis and not gratuitously anti-Trump. It exactly described my experience with security clearances. I was cleared for SECRET during years of engineering work in the defense industry. When I got laid off I lost my clearance. If I needed it again, it could be reinstated - assuming no cause for it not to be.
"Ill-advised?" How about treacherous and maliciously false.
It also just adds to fake news. The commentator with a clearance can say ‘someone’ told me such and such when it is actually them. I think it expands the definition of ‘anonymous sources’.
“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.”
Any reason is okay by me. Typical NR drivel.
“The tradition of those leaving keeping their clearances was from an area where these employees were non-political. “
When America was still America.
Damn it. You beat me to it.
Trump did it for all right reasons.
Writer is stuck in a theoretical place in the past, and shrugs off the determined evil oozing from the left. Of which Brennan is a high priest.
Thank you for the update. I didn’t think security clearances made it into the Constitution.
Trump hits a bullseye for revocation of the idiot’s clearance when he states any reason, or no reason.
The Nomenklatura.
took the words right out of my mouth!
One of those writers who will preface an article defending President Trump with a parade of horribles he is guilty of. As if hatred of President Trump is a writer's bona fides.
Now thats interesting.
I believe that it began when you could get rich in Washington whether you were in government or out of government. And, the coin of the realm in Washington has always been information. Those who are in the know can line their pockets and when you become out of the loop, you have no worth in that world. A security clearance is an essential credential for a Deep State operator, without it you are dead in the water. Like most things, Trumps understands power and understand how people get it and keep it. He has discovered the Achilles heel of the Deep Staters and they are squealing like stuck pigs because they know that they are next. Brilliant.
“my friend David French”
French is nothing but treasonous Deep State propagandist. So when you refer to him like he’s a good man who you happen to disagree with it makes you a POS too.
Thank You!
“The Nomenklatura”
Yup. Statist governments always result in this gang.
No parade of horribles. Did you read it?
That crime is the most serious threat to the republic. Concealing by classification is not just being used to cheat the government out of money or fail to perform contracted services, but it is being used to hide the very dangerous precedent of spying on political opponents.
I was very objective and open-minded looking at the Schiff document with its many redactions. But now I know a lot of the redactions: "FBI Informant" (can still see the "t" that wasn't fully blacked out), Mifsud, Halper, and many derivatives of Steele's work product. As an objective American, admittedly a Trump fan, I believe it is a clear example of intelligence run amock. Luckily we have Trump, who reveres the Constitution and the rule of law and is not afraid to call out the wrongdoers.
“The .... 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.”
Well said!
And I’ll add that like many gangs of bullies, hit one and they all run.
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