The Washington establishment, aided and abetted by the mainstream media, is once again apoplectic at Donald Trump’s decision to strip former CIA director John Brennan’s security clearance. They have used the opportunity to invent a completely baseless charge that this represents a threat to free speech in our republic.
More than a dozen top officials in the intelligence community signed a statement which makes the argument. They charge that the White House decision “has nothing to do with who should and should not hold security clearances — and everything to do with an attempt to stifle free speech…you don’t have to agree with what John Brennan says (and, again, not all of us do) to agree with his right to say it, subject to his obligation to protect classified information.”
This is a new low.
John Brennan has not had his First Amendment rights infringed in any way, shape, or form. It is entirely the president’s prerogative to grant or rescind security clearances, and Trump had every right to assess the situation and make such a determination.
It was, after all, at the behest of one of the few libertarian voices in Congress, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, that Trump made the decision.
What did Rand Paul have to say about Brennan?
“He participated in a shredding of constitutional rights…and has been monetizing and making partisan political use of his clearance since his departure.”
The American political establishment has been dead set against Trump since day one. It is no surprise that top officials, from both Republican and Democratic administrations, would now publicly close ranks and come out swinging against the first truly anti-establishment president in modern history.
Trump represents a grave threat to their power and prestige, and they are duly concerned. They are afraid of Trump. And they should be.
Trump is a threat to a reckless generation of American foreign policy. He is a threat to the welfare-warfare state. While his critics repeatedly suggested that Trump would embark on a new era of overseas military adventurism, he has committed no foreign policy sins. Contrast that with the reckless nation-building efforts by Bush in Iraq and Obama in Libya.
The establishment is pinning their hopes on the Russian collusion investigation. Despite a complete lack of evidence that any collusion took place, they sincerely believe that evidence will still emerge that conclusively proves that Trump coordinated his electoral victory with the Kremlin. They can hope and pray all they want…such evidence is not going to emerge.
The United States has interfered and meddled in hundreds of elections in dozens of countries over its illustrious existence. The liberal Washington establishment surely knows this, but they choose to ignore this inconvenient fact, and inflate Russia’s actions: making them out to be the most serious threat to the Western democratic tradition since the rise of Nazi Germany and Fascist Japan.
Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of “high crimes & misdemeanors.” It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) July 16, 2018
There is no question that John Brennan’s comments on Trump’s meeting with Putin in Helsinki, contributed greatly to Trump’s decision. It is amusing that Brennan takes to social media to present himself as a paragon of virtue and civility, when his own comments are ridiculously over the top.
There is nothing in the Constitution to suggest that Trump’s meeting in Helsinki “rises to and exceeds” the Constitutional threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors. Brennan’s statement to that effect is, indubitably, more outlandish than anything that Trump has said.
Regardless of the investigation into Russian election meddling, the United States is in desperate need of resetting and restoring our relationship with Russia. We must urgently seek to avoid a military buildup in Eastern Europe, and encourage peaceful relations between Russia, the US, and the EU.
Democrats historically have positioned themselves as the anti-war party. They should be applauding Trump’s diplomatic efforts. Talking to Putin is a good thing. Not a bad thing.
Avoiding a pointless war is far more important than the particulars of the Kremlin’s election chicanery.
Brennan’s public relations assault on Trump crosses the line. It is outrageous and untrue that Trump has committed impeachable offenses by hosting a press conference with Putin in Helsinki.
As far as Brennan’s freedom of speech, he still has. He will not, however, be appearing at the White House to advise the Trump administration, so he has no need for a security clearance. Rand Paul says he has been using said clearance for personal gain.
As to why he still needs a security clearance, I’d like to hear a good argument to that effect. As far as I’m concerned, we are far better off now that Brennan does not have access to classified information.
Perhaps now Brennan can focus on what’s really important: deciding which Communist candidate he should vote for in 2020 to take on Trump.