By Kevin Devlin
Many are in an uproar about President Donald Trump stripping ex-CIA chief, John Brennan, of his security clearance, but I’m not because it was a privilege and not a right. This accusation of treason directed at the president can’t be tolerated from someone with such a high security clearance. Brennan acted-and is still acting-in an unprofessional manner thereby negating any professional courtesy previously given.
“Are ex-security officials entitled to retain the high privileges of the offices they held, if they descend into cable-TV hatred and hostility?” asks writer Patrick Buchanan. My answer would be no they don’t. Is it a violation of his First Amendment rights? Again my answer would be no, it isn’t, and I doubt if any judge in the land would uphold this foolish assumption if Brennan would be foolish enough to bring it to court.
All this did not occur in a vacuum. Brennan lost that privilege when he accused President Trump of treason, a crime punishable by death. “Trump’s…performance in Helsinki,” Brennan said, “exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes and misdemeanors.’ It was…treasonous.” Brennan’s accusation of treason is based on his personal hatred of Trump, not fact. He’s the one who made this political. Contrary to what he’s saying, Brennan’s still enjoying his freedom of speech. The president certainly didn’t send out any goon squads like a real Nazi-like leader certainly would have done to silence him because Brennan’s still on cable television bashing the president and babbling about how he’s doing this for the country.
Approximately five million Americans have varying degrees of security clearances. But they aren’t entitlements that are owed to them. When you leave your job, that’s it, you’re all done, see ya’ later gator, as you get a pat on the back walking out the door. Wouldn’t you like a security clearance or access to your old job so you can use that leverage to make money from the information you’re still privy too?
Congress should review this costly policy of allowing former employees continued security clearances. It’s a privilege (granted to them by the government and funded by taxpayers) they enjoy while employed and should be stripped of while collecting their retirement checks.
