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In Spies Battle, Trump Holds the High Ground
Townhall.com ^ | August 21, 2018 | Pat Puchanan

Posted on 08/21/2018 8:54:58 AM PDT by Kaslin

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1 posted on 08/21/2018 8:54:58 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

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 )


2 posted on 08/21/2018 9:02:31 AM PDT by faithhopecharity ( "Politicians aren't born, they're excreted." -Marcus Tillius Cicero (3 BCE))
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To: Kaslin

So he thinks it was ok for Obama when met with Vladimir Putin, “nothing short of treasonous”
Two faced idiot lefty.


3 posted on 08/21/2018 9:03:28 AM PDT by Vaduz (women and children to be impacIQ of chimpsted the most.)
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To: Kaslin

Just common sense from Pat. Too bad common sense is in such short supply among the sinister set these days...


4 posted on 08/21/2018 9:04:23 AM PDT by Unam Sanctam
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To: Kaslin

Thanks to Donna for the above.

5 posted on 08/21/2018 9:08:57 AM PDT by Grampa Dave ( Out of about 6 million people in the DC area, Trump is the only one not colluding with anyone!!!)
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To: Vaduz

I have a strong hunch Brennan has been a closet Commie/Islamic Facist/Homosexual his entire adult life.


6 posted on 08/21/2018 9:10:04 AM PDT by DivineMomentsOfTruth ("There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and persue it steadily." -GW)
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To: Kaslin

7 posted on 08/21/2018 9:13:05 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (The MSM is in the business of creating a fake version of reality for political reasons.)
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To: DivineMomentsOfTruth

I think your hunch is more than a hunch.


8 posted on 08/21/2018 9:20:58 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here of Citizen Parents__Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: Kaslin
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.

Once again this is common sense, that's a good place for Trump to be.

9 posted on 08/21/2018 9:25:07 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: faithhopecharity

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.


10 posted on 08/21/2018 9:25:20 AM PDT by luckystarmom
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To: DivineMomentsOfTruth

It fits the profile of the left.


11 posted on 08/21/2018 9:32:22 AM PDT by Vaduz (women and children to be impacIQ of chimpsted the most.)
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To: luckystarmom

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.


12 posted on 08/21/2018 9:34:14 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (The MSM is in the business of creating a fake version of reality for political reasons.)
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To: Vaduz

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.


13 posted on 08/21/2018 9:34:39 AM PDT by alloysteel ("No" is a complete sentence. On so many levels.)
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To: DivineMomentsOfTruth
I have a strong hunch Brennan has been a closet Commie/Islamic Facist/Homosexual his entire adult life.

Partner, you got that right!!!

Brennan is a convert Mooselimb and I call the Mooselimb religion a "Gutter Religion". I stole this term from another good Freeper.

Also, Brennan is so political and the CIA has rules on having a so called 5 year CIA privileges but it has also in this statement that all privileges will be taken away if any former CIA employees get too involved in politics.

I would say let Brennan go to court to try and get these privileges back since they will not give it to him since he has gotten too polical and he even critizied President Trump of being treasonous.

Last time I checked the word treason you can get yourself under a firing squad for saying this term. I will say it but "Brennan is one Giant Sixth Grade Brain Dooooooooosh Bag"!!!

14 posted on 08/21/2018 9:38:14 AM PDT by TheConservativeTejano (God Bless Texas...)
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To: luckystarmom
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.

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.

15 posted on 08/21/2018 9:38:29 AM PDT by Shethink13 (there are 0 electoral votes in the state of denial)
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To: alloysteel

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.


16 posted on 08/21/2018 9:51:10 AM PDT by Vaduz (women and children to be impacIQ of chimpsted the most.)
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To: Shethink13

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.


17 posted on 08/21/2018 10:18:02 AM PDT by luckystarmom
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To: ClearCase_guy

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.)


18 posted on 08/21/2018 10:26:22 AM PDT by luckystarmom
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To: alloysteel

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


19 posted on 08/21/2018 10:36:54 AM PDT by ckilmer (q e)
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To: luckystarmom

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.


20 posted on 08/21/2018 10:48:15 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (The MSM is in the business of creating a fake version of reality for political reasons.)
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