US President Donald Trump is considering removing their special security clearance from several former intelligence agents. Trump is checking to see if ex-CIA chief John Brennan, ex-FBI chief James Comey, ex-intelligence coordinator James Clapper, and others could clear the permits, said spokesperson Sarah Sanders.
The background is that the former government officials used their status for political purposes to make "unfounded" allegations against Trump in the Russia affair. In some cases, they would even make money, Sanders added. The spokeswoman protested against the presentation, Trump wanted to punish critics of his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Security clearance is a special status granted after a very thorough review, giving government employees access to classified information, for example. Former secret service agents usually retain the status.
Above all ex-CIA boss in the focus of Trump
Besides Brennan, Comey and Clapper, Sanders also named ex-NSA director Michael Hayden, former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe, and Susan Rice, former national security adviser to Barack Obama. All six are critics of Trump.
Republican senator Rand Paul had previously announced that he wanted to meet with Trump to ask him to withdraw the safety permit from Brennan.
Brennan, who served as CIA chief from 2013 to the beginning of 2017, accused Trump of "treason" after his controversial press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump had opposed the assessment of his own intelligence services at the Helsinki show, according to which Russia should have interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
Rand Paul had defended Trump against the criticism, which then also opposed him from the ranks of the Republicans. At the same time, the senator signaled that he has reservations about Trump's candidate for the vacant post at the Supreme Court. For the Republicans, but it depends on each vote.