Appearing on Friday’s edition of the Rachel Maddow Show, former CIA Director John Brennan indicated that he is ready to take legal action against the Trump administration of the recent revocation of his national security clearance, although perhaps not in a way that many may have expected.
While some slighted intelligence officers might seek revenge through the release of closely-held information or through courtroom action that would force the reversal of harmful decisions that affected them personally, Brennan’s main concern seemed to be with current and future intelligence officers whose own clearances might be at risk of being politically revoked at the whim of a pernicious leader.
Brennan told Maddow,
I think he’s out of control. He has the steering wheel of the American vehicle in his hands and he’s veering wildly right now. He’s trying to preserve and protect himself. And so what more demonstration do you want? When things get really, really bad?”
When Rachel asked Brennan to clarify once more before the close of his segment what he meant by “legal action” against the President, he had this to say:
It would be with the eye toward preventing this type of abuse by Donald Trump in the future, not to reclaim [my own security clearance]. Although, this is the first time in 38 years I haven’t had a security clearance, I am very concerned about the future generation — the current generation — of intelligence officers. It was a privilege every day of my life to be a part of this community that kept this country, this wonderful country, strong and safe. And I don’t want to ever allow a politician or someone in the Oval Office to just so cavalierly toss around national security and security clearances. So I will fight on behalf of those who still have their clearances.”
If Donald Trump knows what’s good for him, he’ll back up with his plans to revoke even more clearances, because it will certainly prove to be a non-issue for Brennan to prove in court that there is no reasonable cause for the revocations, especially considering the fact that Trump has overtly declared they were due to people’s roles in the Russia investigation.
Watch Brennan explain it to Maddow here:
Here’s that last answer from John Brennan on considering legal action against Trump. pic.twitter.com/G0s7H1Xskk
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) August 18, 2018
Featured image via screen capture
