Former CIA Director John Brennan
U.S. President Donald Trump revoked former CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance Wednesday amid concern the president may be cracking down on former officials critical of him.
Brennan has long been at loggerheads with Trump and was among a handful of former officials whose clearances the White House said in July were under review.
The former top spy has been at the forefront of public criticism from former officials along with ex-FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump unceremoniously ousted in 2017.
"Mr. Brennan has recently leveraged his status as a former high-ranking official with access to highly sensitive information to make a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations, wild outbursts on the Internet and television about this administration," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters as she read out a statement from Trump.
Messages of support and solidarity with Ankara against Washington’s economic war continue to pour in from across the globe as leaders from all five continents stand united with Turkey in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and sanctions against Turkish ministers under the pretext of Ankara’s ongoing arrest of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson. Message of support from Indonesia and QatarThe Indonesian Council of Ulama on Wednesday expressed strong support for Turkey against the United States' recent economic attacks.Head of the council's external affairs committee, Muhyiddin Junaidi expressed support for Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's stance against the U.S.Stressing that the U.S. targeted Muslim countries and tried to curb Turkey's power in the region, Junaidi said that the Muslim world must use their own currency in trade among themselves against the U.S. dollar.Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will visit Turkey in what has been deemed by observers as a “show of support” for his close ally.The emir "will discuss bilateral relations with the Turkish president and means of strengthening the existing strategic cooperation between the two countries in various fields," said a Qatar News Agency statement. Individuals from across world heed Erdoğan’s call A large number of initiatives were launched by individuals from across the world in response to President Erdoğan’s call to support the ailing lira. Afghan, Sudanese and Somali nationals residing in the Swedish capital rushed to exchange offices to convert their krona to Turkish liras to help shore up Turkey’s national currency.European bank remains committed to TurkeyThe European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Tuesday said it “remains committed” to Turkey, following the recent volatility in Turkish lira.EBRD’s cumulative investment in Turkey has reached nearly 10.7 billion euros ($12.2 billion) with 271 projects in Turkey, according to the bank's website.The EBRD is a leading investor in Turkey which was the biggest recipient of EBRD funds last year and has offices in Istanbul, Ankara and Gaziantep.Lebanese experts praise resilience of Turkish economyTurkish finance minister to meet foreign investorsGlobal confidence about the future of Turkish economyStressing their confidence about the future of Turkish economy, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry in a statement said, “Our country will continue to invest capital and take an active part in Turkey's economy”"Azerbaijan, as always, will continue to support Turkish people and the state in all areas," it added.On Monday, Lebanese businesspeople launched a solidarity campaign for the Turkish lira by offering discounts for customers making purchases in Turkish currency.Expressing its solidarity, Pakistan reiterated its strong support for the Turkish people and nation on Monday.“The people and the government of Pakistan reiterate their strong support for the government and the people of Turkey in their quest for peace and prosperity, and as always, will continue to stand by them towards the achievement of these shared goals,” a statement by the Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said.New world currency will topple dollar: Russian deputyItaly could suffer same fateItaly's Prime Ministry Undersecretary Giancarlo Giorgetti expressed Italy’s concern and said his country could face an economic attack similar to Turkey in August. He stated that they were expecting a similar crisis by the end of August or beginning of September as market assaults were affected by small summer trading volumes.
World stands united with Turkey against Trump’s economic war
Brennan, who criticized Trump's performance at a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin as "nothing short of treasonous," lashed out at Trump's decision on Twitter, calling it "part of a broader effort by Mr. Trump to suppress freedom of speech punish critics”.
"It should gravely worry all Americans, including intelligence professionals, about the cost of speaking out. My principles are worth far more than clearances. I will not relent," Brennan said.
In addition to Brennan and Comey, Sanders said the administration is reviewing the clearances of a handful of other former officials. They include Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden, Justice Department official Sally Yates, National Security Advisor Susan Rice and FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday preparations were underway for a meeting in Geneva next week between Russian officials and White House national security adviser John Bolton, the first top-level meeting since the Russian and U.S. presidents met in Helsinki."Such contacts are indeed planned and being prepared," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call on Wednesday. Peskov did not elaborate further.U.S. President Donald Trump faced criticism at home after he met Vladimir Putin in the Finnish capital in July, and refused to blame the Russian leader for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.A new round of U.S. sanctions targeting Russia was announced in the wake of that criticism, prompting the Russian rouble to fall sharply.Last week, Rand Paul, a Republican senator and Trump ally, travelled to the Russian capital, saying his trip aimed to encourage diplomacy amid the tense relations between Moscow and Washington.Washington had said on Tuesday Bolton would meet Russian officials as a follow-up to the Helsinki summit.China angered at new US defence act, to assess contentFBI agent, who criticized Trump in text messages, is fired
Trump adviser Bolton to meet Russian officials next week
All of the officials have been publicly critical of Trump and his administration's policies. But Sanders denied the president is going after his critics.
"The president has a constitutional responsibility to protect classified information and who has access to it, and that's what he's doing," she said.
Most former top officials are allowed to keep their security clearances, which allow them to access classified information, at least for a time after leaving office, in part to allow them to assist their successors and as a courtesy.
President Donald Trump has made no secret of his disdain for the international order, pledging before entering office to upend multilateral accords and recalibrate U.S. participation in the UN.He has made good on one of his most central vows: to scrap the nuclear accord world powers struck with Iran in 2015, roiling close transatlantic allies in the process.Trump’s actions, emboldened by close aide John Bolton, have inched the U.S. closer to confrontation with Tehran while at the same time increasing the likelihood of Washington sanctioning European allies who are working to salvage the deal and its curbs on Iran’s nuclear program.Economically, Trump has unilaterally removed Washington from one of the world’s largest free trade pacts and vowed to scrap another if it cannot be renegotiated.Tariffs on Turkish imports ‘pose serious risks’ for USThe president has further slashed U.S. funding for the UN by $285 million following a vote that condemned his unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and has removed the U.S. from two major UN bodies and is working to undermine another.Here is a list of major international agreements the American president has nixed or threatened to remove Washington from, the countries that were affected, and key UN bodies the U.S. has taken umbrage with.The Trans Pacific Partnership – The now defunct free trade agreement among Pacific Rim countries that was abandoned after the U.S. withdrew; 11 remaining countries formed a new trade agreement after the U.S. decision.Turkey raises tariffs on US-origin productsCountries affected: Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru.Shortly after Trump signed off on the order, leading Republican Senator John McCain slammed the decision as “a troubling signal of American disengagement in the Asia-Pacific region at a time we can least afford it".“President Trump’s decision to formally withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a serious mistake that will have lasting consequences for America’s economy and our strategic position in the Asia-Pacific region," McCain said.Paris Climate Agreement – Historic effort to combat climate change; U.S. cannot exit until November 2020 under the terms of the pact despite Trump's efforts.Countries affected: the rest of the world.Former President Barack Obama, who spearheaded the Paris effort, slammed his successor's decision, saying the countries still within the agreement will "reap the benefits in jobs and industries created."Even in the absence of American leadership, even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future, I’m confident that our states, cities and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got," he said.North American Free Trade Agreement – Free trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico that has been in effect since 1994. Trump has threatened to scrap it if it cannot be renegotiated; talks ongoing as Canada and Mexico reject separate individual pacts with U.S.Countries affected: Canada and Mexico.“Canada very much believes in NAFTA as a trilateral agreement,” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said. “It has been in place for near a quarter century.”The agreement has allowed the three countries to integrate trading and supply chains that have benefited all involved, she said.Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - Nuclear deal brokered by P5 1 group of world powers and Iran in 2015 giving Tehran billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for intensive inspection regime.Countries affected (directly): Iran, Germany, Russia, China, France, the UK and the EU; global trade also impacted.Following re-imposition of first round of pre-deal nuclear sanctions, the EU vowed to protect Europeans doing business with Iran."We are determined to protect European economic operators engaged in legitimate business with Iran, in accordance with EU law and with UN Security Council Resolution 2231," the bloc saidCuba detente – Effort to restore relations between Cold War rivals begun under President Barack Obama; Trump has curbed travel to island nation, as well as commerce.Countries affected: U.S., Cuba.The tighter U.S. regulations were met with criticism by Senator Patrick Leahy, who said they are "what one would expect of a paranoid totalitarian government, not a democracy like ours”.“The hypocrisy of the White House ideologues is glaring. It is stunning," the Democratic senator said in a statement. “Far from promoting human rights in Cuba, these new regulations will hurt fledgling entrepreneurs and the rest of the Cuban people by discouraging Americans from traveling there.”US participation in UNHRC – Trump pulled the U.S. out of the UN’s Geneva-based human rights body in June, in part because of the council's criticism of Israel.Following the U.S. exit, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged the U.S. to return to the Human Rights Council."We of course would much prefer the U.S. to remain in the Human Rights Council. And I believe that the human rights architecture is a key tool at the present moment in order to promote and protect human rights around the world," Guterres said.US participation in UNESCO – The U.S. announced it was exiting the UN’s world heritage organization in October 2017, citing alleged Israel bias.UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova expressed "profound regret" about Washington's action, saying despite the decision to withhold funding, the U.S.-UNESCO relationship has continued to strengthen."At the time when the fight against violent extremism calls for renewed investment in education, in dialogue among cultures to prevent hatred, it is deeply regrettable that the United States should withdraw from the United Nations agency leading these issues," Bokova said.US funding for UNRWA – The Trump administration halved an installment payment to the UN’s Palestine refugee agency in January, giving only $60 million of a planned $125 million. Senior Trump officials are working to dismantle the agency altogether as legislation winds its way through Congress.A senior western official warned that one of two pieces of legislation seeking to shift UNRWA’s activities to the UN’s main refugee agency (UNHCR) could undermine Washington’s objectives.“Be very careful what you wish for, because for UNHCR, the preferred priority or choice would be for refugees to go back home, which is not something I suppose these American congresspeople would want,” the diplomat told Anadolu Agency, referring to the right of return, which Israel and its allies in Washington reject outright.
Trump’s global policy a string of abandoned commitments
Sanders acknowledged the fact but said "any benefits that senior officials might glean from consultations with Mr. Brennan are now outweighed by the risks posed by his erratic conduct and behavior.
"That conduct and behavior has tested and far exceeded the limits of any professional courtesy that may have been due to him," she said.
Shortly after the announcement, Clapper, the former national intelligence director whose clearance is also under review, told CNN Trump's action is "unprecedented".
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that terrorists should be treated with "toughness and strength" after a man drove a car into members of the public and a security barrier outside Britain's parliament, injuring three."Another terrorist attack in London...These animals are crazy and must be dealt with through toughness and strength!" Trump tweeted.British police arrested a man on suspicion of terrorism offences, saying he appeared to deliberately drive into cyclists before ramming a car into security barriers outside the British parliament in London. Video: Pedestrians hurt as car hits barriers at UK parliament, man arrestedMan held for terrorism after driving into UK parliament barriersCounter-terrorism police leading investigation into incident at UK parliamentPedestrians hurt as car hits barrier at UK parliament, man arrested
Trump vows 'toughness and strength' after UK parliament incident
"I don't know of a case where this has ever been done in the past," Clapper said. "Access to clearances normally would be done completely by a sponsoring agency. So in John's case, the sponsoring agency is the CIA. And normally if there was going to be an action taken like this, it would be done at that level and not by the White House, or not by the president himself."