UPDATE: Retired Navy Admiral William H. McRaven, the man who oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, writes an opinion piece for The Washington Post asking the president to pull his clearance too.
Former CIA director John Brennan, whose security clearance you revoked on Wednesday, is one of the finest public servants I have ever known. Few Americans have done more to protect this country than John. He is a man of unparalleled integrity, whose honesty and character have never been in question, except by those who don’t know him.
Therefore, I would consider it an honor if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.
"Bill McRaven is among the least partisan, the least political, the most patriotic people I know. His taking a stand on this issue is very significant." - Former Acting and Deputy Director of the CIA and CIR Advisory Board member Michael Morell
General Michael Hayden, former CIA and NSA Director and CIR Advisory Board member, calls McRaven "an American hero."
CNN's longtime Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr says, "William McRaven is one of a handful of special operators (current and retired) who knows everything about how to execute a high value counter terrorism direct action raid under fire with the required technology, manpower, intelligence and know-how about what can go wrong."
Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Richard Burr (R-NC) is much less supportive of Brennan and his rebuttal to the president.
“Director Brennan’s recent statements purport to know as fact that the Trump campaign colluded with a foreign power. If Director Brennan’s statement is based on intelligence he received while still leading the CIA, why didn’t he include it in the Intelligence Community Assessment released in 2017? If his statement is based on intelligence he has seen since leaving office, it constitutes an intelligence breach. If he has some other personal knowledge of or evidence of collusion, it should be disclosed to the Special Counsel, not The New York Times.
“If, however, Director Brennan’s statement is purely political and based on conjecture, the president has full authority to revoke his security clearance as head of the Executive Branch.”
Read McRaven's piece: Revoke my security clearance, too, Mr. President (WaPo)
Statement from Senate Intel Chairman Richard Burr on Comments by Former CIA Director John Brennan (press release)
Former CIA Director John Brennan, whom President Trump punished Wednesday for his role in the Russia investigation by revoking his security clearance, has written an opinion piece for the New York Times that is a must-read.
An excerpt:
The already challenging work of the American intelligence and law enforcement communities was made more difficult in late July 2016, however, when Mr. Trump, then a presidential candidate, publicly called upon Russia to find the missing emails of Mrs. Clinton. By issuing such a statement, Mr. Trump was not only encouraging a foreign nation to collect intelligence against a United States citizen, but also openly authorizing his followers to work with our primary global adversary against his political opponent.
Such a public clarion call certainly makes one wonder what Mr. Trump privately encouraged his advisers to do — and what they actually did — to win the election. While I had deep insight into Russian activities during the 2016 election, I now am aware — thanks to the reporting of an open and free press — of many more of the highly suspicious dalliances of some American citizens with people affiliated with the Russian intelligence services.
Mr. Trump’s claims of no collusion are, in a word, hogwash.
The only questions that remain are whether the collusion that took place constituted criminally liable conspiracy, whether obstruction of justice occurred to cover up any collusion or conspiracy, and how many members of “Trump Incorporated” attempted to defraud the government by laundering and concealing the movement of money into their pockets.
Read the whole op-ed: John Brennan: President Trump’s Claims of No Collusion Are Hogwash (NYT)
And if you haven't already, watch the exclusive interview Director/Actor/Activist Rob Reiner conducted with Former DNI James Clapper and Director Brennan about Russian election interference, what they have seen, and why they are concerned.