U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky says President Trump should continue revoking the security clearance of former government officials.
Paul is applauding the President's decision to revoke the security clearance of John Brennan. The former CIA director has been critical of the president for meeting with Vladimir Putin and maintaining a dialogue with the Russian leader. Trump and Paul maintain that diplomacy with Russia is necessary.
Paul accuses Brennan of "shredding constitutional rights, lying to Congress, and monetizing and making partisan political use of his clearance.”
"People who bring their bias to work and are actively trying to take down a president they don't like shouldn't have security clearances, Paul said in an interview with WKU Public Radio.Senator Paul says he’s discussed with Trump also revoking James Clapper’s access to classified information. Kentucky's junior U.S. Senator said the former director of national intelligence committed a felony when he lied to Congress about government surveillance.
"When he was asked by Senator Wyden if the NSA was collecting information on Americans, private information, he said no and that was a lie," Paul stated. "Later, Edward Snowden revealed that they were collecting all Americans' phone information."
Senator Paul says he also supports revoking the security clearance of former National Security Adviser Susan Rice. He says there’s more power in the intelligence community than ever before because of technology. He adds the public must “watch the watchers” to ensure those with the power to spy on Americans are not abusing their power.
Critics of Donald Trump say the president is engaging in political retaliation by revoking security clearances.
