WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is revoking the security clearance of former Obama administration CIA director John Brennan.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the decision at a White House briefing Wednesday. Sanders is citing Brennan’s “erratic conduct and behavior” and accusing him of “lying” and “wild outbursts.”
Brennan has been deeply critical of Trump’s conduct.
Sanders says the security clearances of other current and former officials are also “under review.”
They include former FBI Director James Comey; James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence; former CIA Director Michael Hayden; former national security adviser Susan Rice; and Andrew McCabe, who served as Trump’s deputy FBI director until he was fired in March.
Democrats are lining up to denounce the decision.
Representative Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, says Trump’s move is a “stunning abuse of power.”
Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, warns a “dangerous precedent” is being set.
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