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FORMER CIA DIRECTORS and another half-dozen of America’s most senior spies have issued an unprecedented condemnation of President Donald Trump, after his decision to blacklist their colleague John Brennan.
In a statement, ex-CIA bosses appointed by Republican and Democratic presidents – including Robert Gates, George Tenet, Porter Goss, Leon Panetta and David Petraeus – denounced Trump’s decision to strip Brennan of his security clearance.
Dozens of other former spies signaled their support for the statement.
“The president’s action regarding John Brennan and the threats of similar action against other former officials has nothing to do with who should and should not hold security clearances – and everything to do with an attempt to stifle free speech,” the statement read.
Describing Trump’s move as “inappropriate and deeply regrettable,” they insisted “we have never before seen the approval or removal of security clearances used as a political tool, as was done in this case.”
Two of those who signed the statement – former director of national intelligence James Clapper and former CIA director Michael Hayden – are, according to Trump, on a list of people who could lose their clearance.
Former officials often retain security clearance after leaving office to allow their successors to consult them on issues of the day.
The White House said Brennan – a notable Trump critic – had been stripped of clearance due to his “erratic” behavior.
But in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump admitted his decision on Brennan’s clearance was linked to the ongoing federal probe into possible collusion between his campaign and Russia to influence the 2016 election.
“I call it the rigged witch hunt, (it) is a sham,” Trump was quoted as saying in the interview. “And these people led it!”
So I think it’s something that had to be done.
Trump’s actions have been widely condemned, including by respected former admiral William McRaven, the commander of the US Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
“Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation,” he said.
But most of Trump’s Republican allies have defended the move or refused to condemn it publicly.
Yesterday, Trump said he would likely remove the security clearance of Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, who has been targeted by Trump supporters, in part because his wife worked for a company that produced a dossier alleging Russia had incriminating evidence against the now president.
“Bruce Ohr is a disgrace. I suspect I’ll be taking it away very quickly,” Trump told journalists.
The Washington Post, citing senior administration officials, reported that the White House has drafted documents revoking the clearances of officials, both current and former, who have criticized Trump or been involved in the Russia probe.
The newspaper added that aides have also discussed the best times to release them in order to distract attention from negative news.
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He sounds like great craic
He must be a blueshirt.
I wonder could we get him over here ? Savings of about €150k on salary and he will clean up crime as well !
This geriatric tosser wont stand up to any real criminals. Hes just another dictator who’ll be hard on citizens while he lives off backhanders from organised crime. Where are all the assassins gone?
They’re off making a film with Michael Fassbender.
Makes Donald sound like a pinky left liberal.
Hillary can supply him with the arms and ammo from her ISIS stash
Could do with him in Ireland !!
Snipers should be brought in here to sort out the gangland problem
Sounds more like a dictator!
Interesting approach good luck with that
Just rhink about this for a minute. If parents let their kids out at night he will jail the parents. So who will look after the kids then? The State? Who will pay for that? It just demonstrates the kind of knee jerk red neck thinking of this moron. He doesn’t fight crime he just gets the State to commit crime instead of the “private sector”. Murders become state sanctioned executions and robberies become “contributions”. He is definitely a dictator in the making and the people of the Phillipines will dearly regret electing him.
Or maybe it will stop parents allowing their children out at night..
he has been doing this for 20 years in davao. we have a Penal code. laws of the land that protects minors from abuse and neglect. before we assume lets read the facts first.
People on here seem to forget he was freely elected with a massive majority of the vote. I know many are opposed to the Death Penalty. But look at what crimes he is proposing to introduce it for. Murder, Terrorism, Rape, Child Molestation, Armed Robbery and Drug Smuggling/Dealing. All crimes many on here have said should be dealt with in the most draconian manner. And how many times have we read stories of feral kids here roaming in packs, attacking frontline emergency personnel and have read comments about making the parents pay. As for his shoot to kill policy. Simple solution, don’t resist being arrested.
And it’s that simple is it?
Yes Deborah, it is that simple.
Do you really think drug dealers/smugglers should be hung?
Yes Mick, you are that simple
I never pretended to be complicated Ross. Only the pretentious try to be.
Hi Mick, I am from the Philippines it is very sad to think my people forgot that they got rid of Martial Law and what the call a dictator only to go back to this. I wish and pray it works for their benefit and future.
As I said Theresa the vast majority of your countrymen voted for him in free elections knowing full well what his policies were and his history as mayor. People must have seen no alternative in the other candidates when it came to tackling crime.
Hitler, Mugabe, Al bashir, lukashenko and most importantly for this story, Ferdinand Marcos were all elected and look how their ruling turned out.
Ross. We got Enda. Nobody is claiming that a Free Democratic election is perfect but it is the Peoples choice. And in this case he was elected by a vast majority of the Filipino people. He made no attempt to hide his policies, his history as Mayor of Davao city was there for all to see and yet still they voted for him in their millions.
And we think we are hard done by with Enda in charge
Just a different type of dictator
What a nice fellow.
They should fear the IMF mafia more and the march of aggressive neo liberal capitalism which has been destroying them. Watch this documentary.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79bZ71fUZRU
oh a good crack down on drug dealers, rapist and murders sounds like a great idea. and for parents who let their kids walk the streets at night in such a dangerous place should not be allow look after kids.
Extra-judicial killings are not the way forward no matter what. And I have always been perfectly safe in the Philippines.
It’s an interesting case study all the same.
I was in Davao last year and the people there love him. It was extremely safe by day and night although there is a very visible police force on the streets all fully armed. Smoking is banned literally everywhere and bars close at 1:30am. People in the city all seemed very happy and say it’s a god send from the days when Davao was the murder Capitol of the Phillipines. Whether such draconian ideology work across the nation remains to be seen but with so many phillipinos sick of crime and corruption you can see why they voted for him….
The majority of my friends here in Belfast are Filipino and I’m surprised by the support for him given the votes they cast in our recent election in the north. Why Miriam Defensor Santiago’s polling was so low is staggering – a highly intelligent, able, socially liberal academic and former International Criminal Court Judge. She may be mouthy but she was more than able. For Duterte to win, and for Marcos to poll astronomically higher than Miriam is completely and totally beyond me. It’s American-style cult of personality madness!
Or maybe the country want a serious change
Robbi, Mirriam was the only deserving candidate, if not for her being very sick ( granted she said her stage 4 cancer is in remission) people are in no doubt would have voted for her. Marcos is running for VP and Merriam is for President so their votes don’t connect.
This article perfectly encapsulates how bad the AFP is. Duterte is a plague and is a step backwards for The Philippines, it’s literally the easiest honest hit piece in the world to write but they just can’t help themselves. “He claimed Davao is one of the safest cities in the Philippines” well is it or isn’t it? How hard is it to quote the figures to us? Are they that afraid of admitting he may have been successful at one thing? God just report the facts and leave out the spin.
He must be Muslim…
He sounds absolutely crazy!!! I fear for the country!!!
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