House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday called President Trump’s decision to revoke ex-CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance a “pathetic attempt to silence” his critics.
“Revoking the security clearance of an honorable patriot is a stunning abuse of power & a pathetic attempt to silence critics,” Pelosi tweeted shortly after White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the announcement. “This is yet another disturbing attempt by @realdonaldtrump to distract & divert attention from his Admin’s #cultureofcorruption, cronyism & incompetence.”
Sanders’s announcement that Brennan would lose his security clearance came almost a month after the White House first said it was considering taking such a step for former intelligence officials.
{mosads}In addition to Brennan, Sanders said the Trump administration is reviewing access to classified information for former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former FBI Director James Comey, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, among others.
Many of the officials who were named have frequently criticized the president throughout his time in office. Brennan has been especially critical of Trump.
On Tuesday, he tweeted that Trump would never understand what it means to be president after Trump called a former White House aide a “lowlife” and a “dog.”
The decision to revoke Brennan’s security clearance was quickly met with backlash from former intelligence officials and Democratic lawmakers.
Clapper said on CNN that Trump was infringing on Brennan’s First Amendment rights by taking this action.