POTUS admits the Russia probe was the reason Brennan’s security clearance got pulled.
He claimed that the date discrepency in the revocation order was because it was“too hectic” during his golf vacation.
So if you clear away 45*’’s prevarications, the stripping of Brennan’s security clearance may be a trial run for taking Mueller’s security clearance, which might have negligible effect.
In a subsequent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump made that crystal clear, saying he had to move against Brennan and others he holds responsible for the Russia probe.
Trump then pointed to other investigators who worked on the Russia probe and the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server.
“You look at any of them and you see the things they’ve done,” Trump said. “In some cases, they’ve lied before Congress. The Hillary Clinton whole investigation was a total sham.”
He went on to suggest he’s reviewing the security clearance of other critics – James Clapper, James Comey, Michael Hayden, Sally Yates, Susan Rice, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and Bruce Ohr – simply because he’s decided that they’re bad people.
“I don’t trust many of those people on that list,” Trump said. “I think that they’re very duplicitous. I think they’re not good people.”
Trump’s comments are reminiscent of when he claimed he was firing Comey over mishandling the Clinton probe, then admitted in a TV interview days later that he was thinking “this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story.”
It was clear from the start that Trump’s move was about punishing his critics and threatening other intelligence officials to watch what they say. But Trump’s comments to the Journal underscore that the specific goal was undermining the Russia probe.
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Trump is all about the vindictive reprisals because “Brennan has indeed been deeply critical of Mr. Trump's conduct, calling his performance at a news conference last month with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland ‘nothing short of treasonous.’”
Brennan continued that criticism on Wednesday. "I've seen this type of behavior and actions on the part of foreign tyrants and despots and autocrats for many, many years during my CIA and national security career. I never, ever thought that I would see it here in the United States," he said.