WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he was revoking the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, a prominent and frequent critic of the president, citing his "erratic conduct and behavior."
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the announcement at the start of a previously unscheduled media briefing at the White House. She said Trump is also considering taking the same unusual action against other former national security officials _ and critics _ who served in the Obama and George W. Bush administrations, including several Trump has fired.
Those individuals are former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former FBI Director James B. Comey, Bush's former national security adviser Michael Hayden, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, former national security adviser Susan Rice, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, just-fired FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI attorney Lisa Page.
Denying that the retaliatory action was retribution against critics, or an infringement of Brennan's free-speech rights, Sanders said the decision was a matter of protecting classified information. Former advisers often keep their clearances to be able to provide ongoing advice on national security.
"The president has a constitutional responsibility to protect classified information," she said.
