Sean Spicer spent yet another White House briefing Monday trying to blame President Obama for the access Donald Trump granted Michael Flynn to classified intelligence. When asked why Trump didn't heed Obama's warnings about hiring Flynn during their private meetings, Spicer told reporters, "If President Obama was truly concerned about Gen. Flynn, why didn't he suspend Gen. Flynn's security clearance?"
Let's remember, Spicer has already admitted that the Trump transition didn't vet Flynn because of his existing security clearance. To which we would like to associate ourselves with this observation from Democratic activist Jesse Berney:
You don't get to spend 8 years painting Obama as a lying, terrorist-sympathizing criminal and then say you relied on him vetting your NSA.
But since the White House continues to pin their responsibility for vetting the people whom they hire on Obama, let's review the difference between someone having a security clearance and actually giving that person access to sensitive intelligence. Here’s security expert Malcolm Nance, as quoted by MSNBC’s Joy Reid:
Security Clearance is different than access. At [Flynn’s] rank you can hold a [Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information] clearance unless and until there is an official complaint and it's pulled. [...] He had no access to updated classified [information] after he retired till Trump authorized him to attend security briefings. [...] You must fill an authorized job, even if only a subcontractor, to keep getting access.
President Obama’s firing of Michael Flynn had nothing to do with Flynn violating his security clearances. Obama fired him because they didn’t see eye to eye on important policy, including how Flynn should be managing the Defense Intelligence Agency under his charge. None of that in and of itself necessarily rises to the level of pulling someone’s security clearance. Additionally, Flynn exited in 2014 long before the payments he took from Russia-related entities following his 2015 trip to Moscow came to light.
Bottom line: Flynn’s security clearance didn’t give him access to ANYTHING until Trump appointed him to a position that allowed him that access.
Either Sean Spicer, now three months in the job, doesn’t understand that distinction or he’s lying to cover Trump’s butt.