Trump Revoked Brennan's Security Clearance Because "Something Had to Be Done"

Yesterday, Donald Trump revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, who has been a vocal critic of the Trump Regime.

During the subsequent press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a statement attributed to Trump that attempted to justify the startling action with myriad explanations, each of which were variations on accusing Brennan of being too unstable to retain access to classified information.

Brennan has, according to the White House, demonstrated "erratic conduct and behavior," he "has a history that calls into question his objectivity and credibility," he is a liar who perjured himself before Congress, he has "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," his conduct is "characterized by increasingly frenzied commentary," and he shares "the very aim of our adversaries, which is to sow division and chaos."

That sounds like a pretty good description of someone else I can think of, but not John Brennan.

Anyway.

Despite the Trump Regime's best attempt at rationalizing the unprecedented revocation of a former CIA Director's security credentials because he can no longer be trusted with classified materials, Trump once again undermined the entire endeavor during an interview with the Wall Street Journal, notes Aaron Blake at the Washington Post.

It really was the Russia investigation all along.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal posted late Wednesday, [Donald] Trump once again gave away the ballgame when it comes to his efforts to impact the probe and tear down its leaders (both current and former). He confessed that his true motivation for revoking former CIA director John Brennan's security clearance was the "rigged witch hunt" that Brennan once "led."

"I call it the rigged witch hunt; [it] is a sham," Trump told the Journal's Peter Nicholas and Michael C. Bender. "And these people led it!"

He added: "So I think it's something that had to be done."

You could be forgiven for having flashbacks to Trump's interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt in the aftermath of his firing last year of James B. Comey as FBI director. Then, as now, the White House offered a series of motivations for the crackdown on a person who was a liability in the Russia probe. Then, as now, it seemed clear what the actual motivation was. And then, as now, Trump appeared to go out and just admit the actual motivation.

He can't resist. Trump will lie all day long, but the one lie he cannot bear is the one in which his own power and malice are concealed.

He had the power to fire Comey and humiliate Brennan, and he needs the world to know that he did it and why.

And he fears no consequences for making plain his rank abuses of power, because he knows damn well that no one is going to do anything about it. So fearless is he that the statement read by Sanders included the open threats of further abuses of power toward other prominent administration critics:

As part of this review, I am evaluating action with respect to the following individuals: James Clapper, James Comey, Michael Hayden, Sally Yates, Susan Rice, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and Bruce Ohr.

Security clearances for those who still have them may be revoked, and those who have already lost their security clearance may not be able to have it reinstated.

It is a naked threat to current critics and a warning to those who may contemplate raising their voices in resistance to the Trump Regime: We will come for you.

None of this is normal. And none of it is okay.