July 24, 2018
NBC News reporter Ken Dilanian suggested Monday that President Donald Trump would hurt the livelihoods of Obama administration alumni by taking away the “valuable commodity” of their security clearances.
Dilanian (pictured, bottom center), who covers the intelligence community and national security issues, accused Trump of “seeking to levy a financial penalty” on former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper — both of whom are paid contributors at cable news networks.
Brennan now works for Dilanian’s employer NBC News as an MSNBC analyst. Clapper has since joined CNN in a similar capacity.
He further insinuated that federal employees should consider resisting the order if the president gives it, lambasting Trump for what he called an “extraordinary threat of political retribution.”
Security clearances are a valuable commodity. By making this threat, @realDonaldTrump is seeking to levy a financial penalty on @JohnBrennan and Clapper. There are also public policy reasons that former intel leaders remain cleared–so they can help their successors.
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