If government officials are so politicized against the president that he can't trust them...

[Jim Robinson]

Yes, I know. I heard Adm Mullen on Fox News this morning, lamenting it’s a shame Brennan and others’ security clearances are being pulled because we (the president and his administration) need their deep experience and wise advice. And I thought to myself, yeah and what if the president doesn’t trust or need or want their “deep experience and wise advice?” Sounds more like Mullen was defining the deep state swamp that Trump was elected to drain.

I just searched and found the transcript. Here are Mullen’s exact words:

“MULLEN: It’s — for a long time, Chris, former officials have kept their security clearances to be able to advise on critical issues over time. These are individuals typically that have a lot of both wisdom and experience and our entities inside the government. There are contractors who support the government that ask for advice in certain areas.

I don’t find it — certainly, I have my clearance. It’s not used that often and the dependence on sort of a deep understanding of what’s actually going on is not called for that often. So, it’s been going on for a long time. And I think for the most part, it’s been very useful and I have found no one that’s abused that.”

http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2018/08/19/adm-mike-mullen-on-ex-intel-officials-keeping-clearances-mulvaney-on-potential-storm-clouds-ahead-for-trump-economy.html

[frank ballenger]

Good plan for normal human beings like us.

However, who said liberals like these traitors are normal?

Sociopaths and people who have no emotional regard for the difference between lies and truth do not perspire or breathe faster or show any signs of their lying bothering them. And a tiny percentage show no up or down levels during testing at all (one Dragnet 1970 episode used that in plot.)

These people are like the ones hapless victims try to reason with, using logic and asking for mercy: then they get killed coldly and ruthlessly.

Ask Comey and Brennan if they feel guilty about putting their own careers ahead of the good of the American people and unfairly harming President Trump’s ability to lead the country.

[marron]

Yes. And anyone who vouched for him should lose theirs too.

[Rockingham]

The Constitution implicitly grants the President as Commander in Chief plenary power to deny or revoke security clearances. As the Supreme Court has stated, "It should be obvious that no one has a 'right' to a security clearance." Department of the Navy v. Egan, 484 U.S. 518 (1988). On that basis, the merits of a denial or revocation of a security clearance are considered judicially unreviewable.

The First Amendment argument that Brennan would try to use in court should fail for that reason and because, as you intuit, First Amendment cases involving public employment have an exception for policy-making jobs or sensitive jobs that handle or can access confidential information related to policy-making, such as executive secretaries. For such positions, the rule is that public officials and employees can be fired or transferred at will for political reasons or even simple personal distrust or dislike without doing offense to the First Amendment.

At most, I think that Brennan could argue that revoking his national security clearance was purely a matter of political retaliation without adequate explanation and impaired his future private sector employment as a commentator and consultant by limiting his ability to access low-level classified material. Before a sympathetic federal judge, that line of argument might be enough to get past a motion to dismiss and generate some press coverage.

Even with free legal help and a favorable judge though, I think that Brennan will not try his luck in court or even in an administrative proceeding because he would have to explain under oath the basis for his claim that Trump had committed treason and to account for the spurious Russian dossier and the unjustified spying on Trump. In short, Brennan has no legal claim and is not in a position to file a court case because of his own aggravated misconduct.

[Logical me]

Trump needs to fire them first. And a leftist Federal judge will stop Trump cold. Trump just doesn’t realize that he is just a token compared to Mueller and the criminal left Courts.

[Chode]

Scopolamine and or Pentothal for any there's even the slightest doubt

[frank ballenger]

wow

[babygene]

“5 years to get rid of them? I don’t agree.”

If they officially lost their “need to know”, they would effectively loose their clearance on day one. It would allow it to be reversed however if need be without going through the process again. That way it could be applied across the board for everyone and not targeting just the bad guys.

[NTHockey]

If you are not doing a job that requires security clearance, there is no need to have a security clearance.

Simple rule, In government, security clearance; out of government, no security clearance.

[Moorings]

Security clearance is not some kind of fundamental human right. I don't see why Brennan, who is a FORMER government official feels entitled to keep his security clearance. What gives him a right above anyone else?

As a FORMER government official, who is now a partisan liberal pundit, he has as much right to a high security clearance as say you, Jim.

The president has every authority to revoke someone's security clearance.

[ridesthemiles]

Grounds enough to fire them, IMO. Pull all clearances & all benefits.

[thinden]

Quite frankly, I’m surprised that many of these people still maintain their security clearances and if I was Trump I would ax them. Republicans argue that if a Democrat gets into power they will do the same. But the reason for the clearance is to give advice to the President if necessary so this is a stupid argument. If the President doesn’t want to ask for their advice, there is no need for them to have a clearance.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To most swampers, retaing their security clearances into “retirement” that access to priveleged information becomes their stock in trade for cushy jobs as TV analyst (brennan & clapper), consultants for defense contactors, or lobbiest.

It’s a another branch of the swamp

[poconopundit]

Thanks for enumerating your find analysis, enumerated. Its sounds solid.

[TXnMA]

Jim, I worked for several years in an outfit whose basic job description was classified TOP SECRET, and I recently wrote a substantial post on the subject of security clearances on another FR thread.

It begins:

Security clearances are not personal "perks".

A security clearance is basically a set of restrictions placed upon an individual for the convenience of the government. (It provides for application of labor and brainpower to tasks that must be kept secure.)

As soon as the "Need to Know" (for the benefit of the government) ends, (typically upon termination of employment) the clearance should be terminated. And, at that time, the formerly-cleared individual should be "debriefed" and "read the riot act" re their (felony-level) responsibilities of protecting any and all classified and related knowledge acquired consequent to that clearance.

The entire concept of allowing post-employment clearances as "courtesies" is totally at odds with the concept of National Security. Such never should have been allowed to happen!!

IMO, POTUS should issue a blanket Executive order

1. Clarifying the purpose of security clearances

2. Immediately terminating ALL security clearances for individuals who are no longer serving in a contributing, "Need to Know" responsibility.

3. Prohibiting future extensions of security clearances as personal "rewards", "courtesies", or "perks".

[gogeo]

We’ve wondered why incoming Repub presidents don’t automatically clean house. This is part of what that would look like.

[trebb]

Yes - as a Security Manager I saw several cases of clearances being pulled due to the uncovering of facts that would have precluded the person from getting a clearance in the first place - once integrity and reliability are gone, so goes the clearance...