Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 24 July 2018
Trump considers yanking critics' security clearances

By JILL COLVIN write."
Associated Press Melissa Schwartz, a spokes-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- woman for McCabe,
dent Donald Trump is con- tweeted that his security
sidering revoking the secu- clearance was deactivat-
rity clearances of six former ed when he was terminat-
top national security offi- ed, per FBI policy.
cials who have been criti- "You would think the White
cal of his administration, a House would check with
move that opponents and the FBI before trying to
experts say would be an throw shiny objects to the
unprecedented politiciza- press corps," she wrote.
tion of the clearance pro- As for whether Trump has
cess. the authority to do what
White House press sec- Sanders suggested, After-
retary Sarah Huckabee good called it "a disputed
Sanders said Monday that question."
the president is "exploring Attorney Greg T. Rinckey,
the mechanisms" to strip who specializes in national
clearance from former CIA security and security clear-
Director John Brennan as ance cases, said that while
well as five other former of- presidents have broad au-
ficials who have held some thority to grant clearances,
of the most sensitive posi- there is "some debate over
tions in government: former whether or not the presi-
FBI Director James Comey; dent has the authority to
James Clapper, the former revoke" them.
director of national intel- He said he was not aware
ligence; former CIA Direc- of any past case in which a
tor Michael Hayden; former person had their clearance
national security adviser revoked by the president.
Susan Rice; and Andrew John V. Berry, an attorney
McCabe, who served as White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks during the daily press briefing at who regularly represents
Trump's deputy FBI director the White House, Monday, July 23, 2018, in Washington. federal intelligence agen-
until he was fired in March. Associated Press cy employees, said that he
The leaders have served in didn't see any reason the
both Democratic and Re- ing member of the House News. questioned his own intel- president wouldn't be able
publican administrations, Intelligence Committee, "There's a real danger they ligence agencies' conclu- to revoke clearance but
including Trump's. tweeted that "politiciz- might inadvertently reveal sions that Moscow tried to that doing so would "be
Sanders accused the offi- ing security clearances to classified information," he tip the scales of the 2016 terrible for America" and
cials of having "politicized retaliate against former said. election in his favor and "totally defeat the process
and in some cases mon- national security officials Former CIA directors and seemed to accept Pu- of defending national se-
etized their public service who criticize the President other top national secu- tin's insistence that Russia's curity."
and security clearances" would set a terrible new rity officials are typically al- hands were clean. "If we start interjecting poli-
by making "baseless accu- precedent." lowed to keep their clear- Brennan slammed those tics into this, our country's
sations" that the Trump ad- "An enemies list is ugly, un- ances, at least for some comments as "nothing going to be significantly
ministration had improper democratic and un-Ameri- period, as a courtesy and short of treasonous" and weakened," Berry said.
contact with Russia or was can," he added. so they can be in a position accused Trump of being Rep. Elijah E. Cummings,
influenced by Russia. The threat to deny the of- to advise their successors. "wholly in the pocket of Pu- ranking Democrat on the
"The fact that people with ficials access to classified At least one of the former tin." House oversight commit-
security clearances are information marks the latest officials, McCabe, does Paul, in turn, has called tee, said Trump had al-
making these baseless escalation in the president's not currently have security Brennan "the most biased, lowed his former national
charges provides inappro- ongoing war with the mem- clearance, his spokeswom- bigoted, over-the-top, hy- security adviser Michael
priate legitimacy to accu- bers of the U.S. intelligence an said. perbolic sort of unhinged Flynn "to keep his security
sations with zero evidence," community. It came hours Experts appeared split on director of the CIA we've clearance for weeks after
she said. after Republican Sen. Rand whether the president has ever had" in interviews with the Justice Department
Sanders did not cite spe- Paul of Kentucky tweeted the authority to unilaterally Fox. warned that he was under
cific comments made by that he would be meeting terminate a security clear- Clapper, reacting to the investigation for lying about
any of the officials. But the with Trump to discuss revok- ance, but said such a move White House talk of revok- his secret conversations
president has been seeth- ing Brennan's clearance for would be unprecedented ing clearances, said on with the Russians" and "al-
ing over the backlash to his scathing criticism of the and ill-advised. CNN that Trump's idea was lowed his son-in-law Jared
his meeting last week with president's performance at "Legalities aside, it seems "kind of a petty way of retri- Kushner to keep his security
Russia's Vladimir Putin and the summit with Putin. like a terrible mistake to bution, I suppose, for speak- clearance after repeatedly
the ongoing investigations "I told the president in pri- use the security clearance ing out against the presi- concealing his foreign con-
into Russia's meddling in vate what I've been saying system as an instrument of dent, which I think, on the tacts."
the 2016 election, whether in public: That I think there's political vendettas," said part of all of us, are borne "President Trump should
his campaign aides were a great danger to having Steven Aftergood at the out of genuine concerns get his own staff's security
involved in the effort and talking heads on TV who Federation of American about President Trump." clearances in order rather
whether he obstructed jus- are ex-CIA agents and still Scientists' Project on Gov- Hayden tweeted Monday than engaging in crass
tice. have classified clearance," ernment Secrecy. that revoking his security political retribution against
Democratic Rep. Adam Paul said Monday evening While standing next to Pu- clearance wouldn't "have former officials," Cummings
Schiff of California, a rank- in an appearance on Fox tin, Trump last week openly any effect on what I say or said in statement.q