Posted on 08/21/2018 8:54:58 AM PDT by Kaslin
In backing John Brennan's right to keep his top-secret security clearance, despite his having charged the president with treason, the U.S. intel community has chosen to fight on indefensible terrain.
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper seemed to recognize that Sunday when he conceded that ex-CIA Director Brennan had the subtlety of "a freight train" and his rhetoric had become "an issue in and of itself."
After Donald Trump's Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin, Brennan had called the president's actions "nothing short of treasonous."
The battle is now engaged. Trump cannot back down. He must defy and defeat the old bulls of the intel community. And he can.
For a security clearance is not a right. It is not an entitlement.
It is a privilege, an honor and a necessity for those serving in the security agencies of the U.S. government -- while they serve.
Brennan is not being deprived of his First Amendment rights. He can still make any accusation and call the president any name he wishes.
But to argue that a charge of treason against a president is not a justification for pulling a clearance is a claim both arrogant and absurd.
Again, a security clearance is not a constitutional right.
Said Defense Secretary James Mattis: "I have taken security clearances away from people in my previous time in uniform ... a security clearance is something that is granted on an as-needed basis."
Brennan is now threatening to sue the president. Bring it on, says national security adviser John Bolton.
With 4 million Americans holding top-secret clearances, and this city awash in leaks to the media from present and past intel and security officials, it is time to strip the swamp creatures of their special privileges.
The White House should press upon Congress a policy of automatic cancellation of security clearances, for intelligence and military officers, upon resignation, retirement or severance.
Clearances should be retained only for departing officers who can demonstrate that their "need to know" national secrets remains crucial to our security, not merely advantageous to their pursuit of lucrative jobs in the military-industrial complex.
Officials in the security realm who take clearances with them on leaving office are like House members who retain all the access, perks and privileges of Congress after they step down to earn seven-figure salaries lobbying their former congressional colleagues.
The White House statement of Sarah Huckabee Sanders on John Brennan's loss of his clearances was spot on:
"Any access granted to our nation's secrets should be in furtherance of national, not personal, interests.
"Mr. Brennan has recently leveraged his status as a former high-ranking official with access to highly sensitive information to make a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations -- wild outbursts on the Internet and television -- about this administration. Mr. Brennan's lying and recent conduct, characterized by increasingly frenzied commentary, is wholly inconsistent with access to the nation's most closely held secrets, and facilitates the very aim of our adversaries, which is to sow division and chaos."
Trump is said to be evaluating pulling the security clearances of Clapper, ex-FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director Michael Hayden, former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, former FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page.
This is a good start. Some of these individuals have been fired. Some are under investigation. Some were involved in the FBI's "get-Trump" cabal to prevent his election and then to abort his presidency.
Some have become talking heads on cable TV, exploiting the credibility of their former titles and offices to undermine an elected president.
Again, they have a First Amendment right to do this. But they should be stripped of their clearances to show the nation that the president is dealing with insiders who have joined the Resistance.
At bottom, the issue is: Who speaks for America?
Is it the mainstream media, the deep state, the permanent government, the city that gave Trump 4 percent of its votes? Or is it that vast slice of Middle America that sent Trump to drain the swamp?
Trump's enemies, and they are legion, want to see Robert Mueller charge him with collusion with Russia and obstructing the investigation of that collusion. They want to see the Democratic Party take over the House in November, and the Senate, and move on to impeach and remove Trump from office. Then they want to put him where Paul Manafort sits today.
For Trump, a truce or a negotiated peace with these people is never going to happen. But this issue of security clearances is a battlefield where the president cannot lose, if he fights wisely.
Americans sense that these are privileges that should be extended to those who protect us, not perks for former officials to exploit and monetize while they attempt to bring down the commander in chief.
Security clearances should normally be suspended or cancelled when a government employee leaves govt employment and no longer needs access to our defense secrets. This is basic and should not require or be limited to , imho, an obviously anti- American security risk like Brennan (who patently should never have even been considered for a security clearance or a government job in the first place )
So he thinks it was ok for Obama when met with Vladimir Putin, “nothing short of treasonous”
Two faced idiot lefty.
Just common sense from Pat. Too bad common sense is in such short supply among the sinister set these days...
Thanks to Donna for the above.
I have a strong hunch Brennan has been a closet Commie/Islamic Facist/Homosexual his entire adult life.
I think your hunch is more than a hunch.
Once again this is common sense, that's a good place for Trump to be.
It doesn’t quite work that way.
Access should be denied immediately when you lose a job. However, your clearance is kept active for about 2 years. (I had a top secret clearance, and I can’t rememberhow long I had it it after I quit working).
It used to take about 3 months to get a secret clearance and a tear to get a top secret clearance due to all of the background checks. Keeping clearances active means access can immediately be given when starting a new job.
With that said, the president has executive privilege to strip clearances to whoever he wants.
It fits the profile of the left.
I agree with that. The paperwork can be a burden and can slow things down if you have to start completely from scratch.
That being said, the concept of “need to know” is really important.
Maybe I’m cleared and actively working on a satellite program. If they find me snooping around looking at classified submarine documents, there’s a problem. I don’t “need to know” about subs. I ought to lose my clearance and my job working on satellites. ASAP.
At least in theory, I wouldn’t mind if Brennan “had an active clearance” — but he should be making enquiries and no one should be sharing anything with him. It’s a bad security breach if he’s “just a guy” and he’s doing work as a media analyst and making phone calls asking about our deep undercover CIA guys over China. Not good.
And since he clearly has had conversations without a “need to know”, I think his clearance should definitely be stripped.
The definition of “treason” varies with the person who is applying the term. Is it treasonous to trash the Constitution? Not if you picture the Constitution as “antiquated” and “irrelevant”, or an experiment that has gone woefully wrong.
But then, once this definition is declared, those who DO defend the Constitution, and insist on applying it as it was originally conceived, then stand in the shadow of “treason”, and John Brennan’s words become much more intelligible, if still the meaning behind it becomes nearly incomprehensible.
Whatever vision John Brennan, and for that matter, virtually all of the Deep State. may have, it does not embrace the historical concept that is America.
The Deep State is an enemy domestic of that ideal that is the United States of America. The Commander in Chief is charged with preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States, it says so right in the oath of office.
The Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America reads:
“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”
At some time or another, every Federal employee has read and signed this oath. They may have forgotten it, but it is still binding.
It used to take about 3 months to get a secret clearance and a tear to get a top secret clearance due to all of the background checks. Keeping clearances active means access can immediately be given when starting a new job.
I really don't care how long it takes for someone to get their clearance back. A lot can happen in a person's life over the course of 2 years. And it's not like there's a dearth of talent in the millions of current government employees with clearance. At the very least, there should be a 6 month re-evaluation or something for someone to keep a clearance for 2 years.
I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies.
Guess he forgot that part he leaks data and lies about it too he’s the poster child of treason.
Can’t think of anyone the Obama clan who isn’t also can’t find one person who can tell me one thing Obama didn’t do to harm this country.
As an engineer, I disagree with that. Engineers change jobs frequently and it’s actually hard to get engineers with security clearances. Waiting even 3 months could be a problem.
You wouldn’t have access to different kinds of data. Even when you have a clearance your access is limited.
For example, I had access to only one classified filing cabinet. Once done with that, the locks are changed and I lost access.
For computers, they have special rooms with data on those computers is limited.
My husband and I worked at the same company and both of us had top secret clearance. I couldn’t go into areas he could go to, and vice versa. I don’t know what type of access he had and he doesn’t know what I had. We could not talk to each other about our projects even though we both had top secret clearances at the same company and we were both software engineers.
(by the way, I loved when we both had top secret clearances because we never brought our work home with us.)
The US has not executed anyone for treason since the rosenburgs were executed in 1953.
Why not?
imho. the treason has become too murky a word because america’s borders and interests have become too murky and americans have become a people with poor boundaries
But that’s really my point.
John Brennan surely has no access to that filing cabinet you mention. Or to the special rooms where the computers with the special data. He has no access because he has no “need to know”.
So why does he have an active clearance? In what way has his clearance been helping him since he left the CIA? Why is he so upset that his clearance has been stripped?
The answer is obvious: he’s been getting access to things that neither your husband nor you would have access to. But he seems to have access even when he shouldn’t have access. And why does he want this to continue? Because he basically sells classified information. It’s not right.
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