White House national security adviser John Bolton on Sunday suggested that former CIA Director John Brennan might have released classified information, but acknowledged that he isn’t certain Brennan did so.
Bolton said on ABC’s “This Week” that he is “very troubled” by the conduct of Brennan, a frequent critic of President Trump who lost his security clearance last week. Trump said he was protecting the nation’s classified information in announcing that he was revoking Brennan’s security clearance.
{mosads}“I think a number of people have commented that he couldn’t be in the position he’s in of criticizing President Trump and his so-called collusion with Russia unless he did use classified information,” Bolton said. “But I don’t know the specifics.”
Bolton accused Brennan of misconduct during his time at the CIA and since he left the agency, saying Brennan was “politicizing intelligence” and that there are “grounds to have your security clearance revoked” for that type of alleged misconduct.
Bolton also said “people will be able to determine” whether Brennan released classified information, adding that he thinks it’s appropriate for the administration to review security clearances during a time of “unprecedented leaks of highly classified information.”
“I don’t see that there would be anything wrong if it were determined to go that way to review the policies about former officials having clearances,” Bolton said. “Sometimes it can be useful.”
Trump has faced harsh criticism former intelligence officials since he revoked Brennan’s security clearance. The move was widely viewed as an act of retaliation against Brennan, who has often publicly condemned Trump. The former CIA director has continued his attacks against the president since losing his clearance, saying Friday that Trump is “drunk on power.”