you are a patriot
Bravo, Mr. Brennan. You have called a spade a spade in unequivocal terms.
90
As much as I love the idea of Trump as the Ace of Spies, I don’t think he is. Nor do I think he specifically is guilty of collusion. Don Jr? Yes. Jared? Definitely. Manafort? Roger Stone? My lord, yes. Is Trump guilty of currency scams, laundering etc of Russian money both before, during and - let’s face it - probably after, the election? I don’t see why not - one with a love of money, who is a serial bankrupt and utterly amoral would probably do that, yes.
Why do I not think he’s colluded on the Presidency? Simples - because he’s as dumb as a rock, boastful and vindictive. The man blew Israeli secrets in a ten-minute meeting with Russians as a boast, he blew British secrets on the Manchester bombing on Twitter before they were released, because it helps his agenda. A man can be a dumb, unwitting instrument being manipulated unknowingly - but that doesn’t necessarily suggest he is guilty of deliberate treason.
22
If you were Russia and you could influence the outcome of an election of your sworn enemy, wouldn't you?
15
Brennan is a criminal and belongs in Leavenworth with warmongers Bush and Cheney.
No surprise he's attacking Trump; he and Clapper were at the center of the great CIA lie that killed (and continues) thousands--Americans and Iraqis and costing billions--and yet the firestorm in the Middle East continues.
Trump needs to put him in irons along with taking his security clearance.
19
Does Brennan realize that he is not a cancer with a right to linger on indefinitely until host is dead ? Brennan was an appointee of Obama who used to be a President whose term expired on 1-20-17 together with all he appointees. Brennan included. In United States of America no divine rights, not for King nor for his servants.
18
The whole point of the checks and balances built into the US federal system is that they're supposed to entrammel a wannabe tyrant like Trump.
That they're not doing so is not so much an indictment of this modern day Nero but of the naivety of the Founding Fathers and of subsequent legislators.
Trump will get away with anything he can. Why not? It's in his nature.
Don't blame Trump – blame yourselves. Fix the system to stop the present Trump and to make sure another is not possible.
Enrol. Get off your couch. Get out there and vote this November.
29
Trump won because the Democrats ran another Clinton. Period.
12
Revoking Mr. Brennan's security clearance is akin to saying, "this is my backyard and I am taking back my marbles adn you can't play here anymore." Mr. Trump is little more than a school yard bully who uses bluster, mean words and threatening behavior to intimidate and silence those who disagree with him.
Yet this is not the school yard, it's the Oval Office and this bully has the power and authority of the Presidential Office with him. I am grateful that those who are couraegous enough to stand up to bullying are standing up.
At the end of the day a bully is nothing more than a bully, and childish shouting and name calling change nothing. Shame on this president and those who align and support his juvenile and destructive conduct. Thankfully there are some adults who are still willing to stand up and say - Enough!
Courage Mr. Brennan, we are with you.
49
Brennan hasn't said anything that has not been public knowledge. The fact that Trump has so completely twisted so many minds against our intelligence institutions speaks to comments by him and some others that they believe Brennan will reveal secrets. Not on your life. He's a patriot. He's not made that way. Comments like that are their own projections. Not everyone is as devious and conniving as you, trump.
30
I hear that the head of the Senate Intel Ctee is now chiding Brennan, claiming that if he is saying he knows about collision then he must be divulging based on classified info and that he should be speaking with Mueller instead of blabbing to the Times. First, though, everyone who bothers to be informed by now knows from facts already out in the public sphere that there was collusion and almost certainly still is; and second, is the Senate head trying to say that if there was collusion that the public should not know about it, and that the only person who should is Mueller, whose own investigation is under constant threat of being shut down by the perpetrators? If there are any things the public has a right to know about, surely how its elections and president function are among them.
6
Follow the money.
Benedict Donald refuses to open his tax returns. Why?
Too much Russian money there. They paid for him and those other con men around him.
Collusion? Conspiracy? How about mob Payola?
Just follow the money.
54
The appreciation we have for Mr. Brenner's work goes without say. Nevertheless, this concerns all Americans. We need to keep the conversation going. We will not let Trump silence us or those that challenge him.
The New York Times Magazine featured an excellent cover story on John Brennan at the end of June. We had the privilege of speaking with the author of the cover, Mattathias Schwartz, in our most recent Podcast here: http://nobodyknew.libsyn.com/the-stay-puft-marshmallow-man
Here's the insightful NTY Mag Cover story: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/27/magazine/john-brennan-president-trump...
7
Beyond a doubt, President Trump is a liar. Not a very good liar, but a liar nonetheless.
Vladimir Putin is also a liar, but a very good one. After all, he was a KGB officer and has been intimately engaged in Russian and international politics for decades now.
What makes people think that John Brennan and James Clapper don’t belong in the same league as Putin? They were both in the same business as Putin, but they were OUR liars. All the commenters who are praising Brennan and Clapper for their patriotism and service might change their minds if they bothered to look up their biographies to see just what their “service” has included. A few commenters below have given good accounts of Brennan’s history of behaving like an American Putin. As for Clapper: he’s the one who lied to Congress about the NSA practice of vacuuming up the electronic communications of Americans.
When I was in the federal civil service decades ago, my political activities (none) would have been controlled by the Hatch Act. Whether it’s still in effect, I don’t know. But I would not have been able to call the president a traitor or charge him with treason, as Brennan did after the Trump meeting with Putin and expected to remain a federal employee.
Anyone with a security clearance who wants to engage in political activity needs to give up the clearance or to be stripped of it and become a plain old citizen relying on First Amendment rights. Anyone who has a security clearance has given them up.
7
Could Mr. Brennan explain what he was doing in Ukraine during the Maidan coup, along with VP Biden and Victoria Nuland? Nuland has admitted they were ‘mid-wifing’ a pro U.S. government there, meddling in the internal affairs of Ukraine. For Mr. Putin, that Obama administration ‘active measure’ was a bridge too far, hence, the Russian efforts to interfere in our 2016 election. Mr. Brennan is skilled at the art of deception and diversion.
11
"A Republic, if you can keep it."
15
"John Brennan: President Trump’s Claims of No Collusion Are Hogwash"
EVERYTHING about the illegitimate president, Donald Trump is, was and will forever be hogwash. Born with a golden spoon in his mouth, he may have grown tall and wealthy (only with daddy's huge gift of seed money early on), but he never grew in his mind or spirit. He never matured beyond the intellectual and emotional capacity of a little boy, a insecure, mean, nasty little boy at that.
How this great nation could be laid so low in just under two years—and by an ignorant, corrupt, despicable imitation of a human being—is almost inconceivable. The only possible reasons can be what we already know: Russians interfered mightily with our elections, and an increasing number of Americans take our freedoms for granted, allowing them to care not one scintilla about the history, the present, and the future of America. That, in turn, makes voters pull the handle for any old politician who promises anything, who panders to them using fear and paranoia, and/or who cons them by smearing the ideas and good work of others. Worse, complacent and ignorant voters simply don't go to the polls at all. The result is on FULL display: the so-called presidency of Donald "John" (appropriately named) Trump. The timbers of our 240-year-old democratic republic are swaying, and our founders are weeping.
88
In the end, it will come down to Trump's tax returns. The more evidence there is of Trump's lies and ties to the Russians, the more solid the case becomes, the more his supporters will be convinced that it is a witch hunt. It was obvious that when the FBI failed to corroborate Trump's lies about Clinton, he had no use for them, and neither do his followers.
It really is time to change strategies. Al Capone was imprisoned on tax evasion. Donald Trump's tax returns are something he is desperate to keep hidden from the public. He failed to divest from his businesses. He is no doubt beholden financially to some Russian thugs. He is guilty of tax fraud. Allowing him to get away with withholding his financial information is critical to his aura of invincibility.
We don't need the FBI for this. The chief White House ethics lawyer for the Bush WH quit and is running as a Democrat. Trump's unethical behavior is blatant. It is time to DEMAND that he show his tax returns. He doesn't want to do it. He is hiding something and this needs to be made obvious.
18
As President Truman after he fired MacArthur, “he asked it for it, and I had to give it to him”.
6
Every time I see Trump's picture, my mind somehow shows Mao's image. Trump is unfit to be the leader of this Great Nation. I can find reason to keep Nixon, but I cannot find any reason to keep Trump as our president.
If GOP does not do their job to keep this dictator in check, let's change so that this won't get too out of control after November.
8
Getting an op-ed in the Times does not exactly validate Brennan's claim that Trump is silencing him. However, if they keep firing people at FBI and DOJ, maybe the silencing over there will end.
3
Sarah Sanders came right out and announced that the pulling of the security clearance was not for security purposes, but for political reasons. Trump is a menace to our democracy. He needs to be impeached!
19
I respect and admire your writing, Mr. Brennan. I admit I have not always felt that way. However, your forthright, intelligible and impassioned writing on such an important issue currently facing American Democracy has made me realize what a respectable and admirable man you are. I stand with you and the cause you stand for, which is this Great Country. In turn, God Bless American Democracy, and You, Sir.
15
Adherence to the truth ranks low among President Trump's behavioral traits. Comfortably in the lower 3 percentiles.
5
Sure, I fully endorse these charges against Russia and Trump. In addition, the CIA has shown itself rather adept at exploiting "The very freedoms and liberties that liberal Western democracies cherish and that autocracies fear ... not only to collect sensitive information but also to distribute propaganda and disinformation". Mr Brennan and the CIA have plenty of, in a word, Hogwash, to account for.
5
Thank you Mr. Brennan, for what you have written, for your work for our country over a lifetime, and for your courage now midst this horrifying time. I am appalled you are being treated as you are. Please congress - step up and have a spine.
28
Unfortunately, notwithstanding the highly irregular way Trump went about revoking Mr. Brennan's security clearance, from a purely legal standpoint, the President has the authority to do so, even if he is acting outside long-standing procedural norms. In this respect, it is like so many other established norms this President has violated, and continues to violate, on a routine basis. Part of recovering from the Trump presidency -- if indeed we do recover from it -- will surely be codifying into law many of the norms and procedures for which it has been seen heretofore as unnecessary to so codify.
14
Trump is a traitor. His denials are certainly "Hogwash". He is an enemy of the people!!!
28
Thank you, Mr. Brennan, for your patriotism and for standing up for your First Amendment right to free speech. Trump is thin-skinned and childish, and it's clear he's mad and taking out his anger on you as a distraction from the Omarosa debacle. Every single day, more sleaze and lies ooze out of the WH, it's disgusting. What a pathetic mess we have in this mis-administration. Keep up the good work, we support you.
19
@Sheila
Anyone holding a security clearance has given up the First Amendment right to free speech—not to mention other rights like free association.
2
What are going to do when manafort gets off?
5
Our President is testing the waters to see what he can do without penalty. In time, he will desensitize the Republican Party members enough that he will conclude that he can fire Mueller and they will do nothing about it. Then he will do it.
17
A liar is worse than a thief.
9
Mr. Brennan you are a true patriot. I hope you re able to rally the people, and make them aware of the danger, and evil we all face from this Kremlin candidate.
13
“I now am aware — thanks to the reporting of an open and free press.” Meaning that previously as Director of CIA you were unaware. How is that possible that as Spy Master you didn’t know but CNN found out? That strains credulity. Anyway, just which bit or reporting makes you so convinced? Doesn’t say. Guess I’ll have to tune into MSNBC.
10
If Trump has silenced you, Mr. Brennan, how come I can still hear you?
14
Thank you for your service to our country, Mr, Brennan.
14
Collusion, so what, who cares... it's not a crime. Even Rudy knows that!
Let's start calling it what it really is, conspiracy... that's a crime. Right Rudy?
13
As dangerous and unprecedented as Trump's decisions are, I implore the news agencies to not lose sight of the fact that Trump manipulates the news cycle. So the media has a two-fold (at least!) task: Report facts, plus do not get sucked in by what Trump wants the media to focus upon. Bait and switch is what he is doing.
Thank you to the courageous John Brennan and others who are fighting to preserve our democracy. We support you.
8
no proof-just innuendos. no wonder the guy lied to us about so much when he was a government employee...
11
America must vote democrat in November or else it may lose its democracy.
17
Collusion, treason, traitorous, conspirator...Maybe none of it, maybe all of it, but one thing is sure..Trump has destroyed the moral integrity of this country for his own greed and power
and has divided this country in ways more stark than ever with the potential for civil war. Russia could not have done a better job on its own.
22
Like many here I don’t have a high opinion of Mr. Trump.
But unlike so many, I wouldn’t want to see him impeached, or prevented from serving out his term of office.
I wonder how many NYT readers have looked up the presidential order of succession.
VP Pence: He is a religious fanatic, a super duper evangelical Christian not all that far from being a so-called “Dominionist” just aching for the Final Days to come with Jesus in the lead and the conversion of the Jews. Good bye Row v Wade.
Speaker Paul Ryan: Just read his blueprint for an America without Social Security, Medicare, or any other element of a social protective net not approved by. his philosophical lodestar, Ayn Rand. He would mean rule by the Kochs.
President pro Tempore of the Senate: At this time that’s Orrin Hatch, who is retiring. Can Mitch McConnell be far behind?
After these, the rest are Cabinet officers. In order: Pompeo (State), Mnuchin (Treasury).
Only after these does a reasonable person Mattis (Defense), but he’s followed buy Sessions (Attorney General)
Would any of these, with the exception of Mattis, be any better than Trump? In my judgment, they would be at least as bad as Trump—if not worse.
13
Thank you for your service to the nation, Mr. Brennan. We need your voice and expertise now, more than ever, to counter the unabashed accusations and sinister acts of Trump, who fears your knowledge of Russian operations. Howsomever Trump has become Putin’s tool, he is doing the work of undermining our country, actions that you have deemed treasonous, and all who witnessed the outrageous spectacle in Helsinki would concur. You have the courage, the knowledge, and the convictions to speak truthfully to the American people. We need your strength in our time of trouble.
4
Give Trump his due when unscripted he occasionally speaks the truth as he did with Lester Holt and now regarding his enemies list for igniting and furthering the hoax, that is not a hoax. Donald Trump Jr. was victimized by the truth in a Presidential tweet last week admitting the now infamous Trump Tower meeting was to garner opposition on the opponent. It is illegal to solicit anything of value from a foreign country or nationals to influence a US election.
The Russians offered nothing at the meeting as a precaution. The something of value came with the emails shielded by duping Wikileaks. So Brennan has the high side of the argument on collusion, aka conspiracy.
2
I wish I had a security clearance so I could demand that it be revoked in support of Brennan and everyone else who is fighting the good fight against Trump.
6
Brennan is an equal *blank* compared to Trump. During a time the CIA was trying to earn it's respect back, Brennan is throwing out charges without any evidence. Remember how the media sounds off when Trump does it..."WITHOUT EVIDENCE!" Brennan and Clapper should wait till Mueller ends the investigation instead of playing politics because people's faith in government is at a low no matter who side of the aisle you are on.
8
There's a stronger case for collusion in campaigns with many career politicians in DC than there is for Trump, and it's not close. Two sets of laws in Lawyerland.
4
I hope Brennan can be tempted to run for office - Dem or Rep I dont care - he qualifies in my view because he seems willing to stand up and speak truth to power - unlike many of the sheep currently in Congress he recognizes the problem we have occupying the WH and wants to alert us all to it. I am thankful he is speaking out.
4
You, Mr. Brennan, are a true patriot. I thank you for your indispensable service to our country, both in your past official governmental capacities and, just as or even more critically important today, for speaking truth to lies, democracy to fascism, courage to cowardice, and dignity to sleaze. Donald Trump poses the greatest threat in my lifetime to our country and to who we are as a People. Hoorahs to you John Brennan! Stay strong.
5
Though I don't like Trump much and couldn't imagine voting for him, the hysteria over him by oversensitive self-appointed victims and imaginary civil rights warriors, seem to me on the delusional and dangerous side. They think it's okay there are people running for office who think socialism is the answer, who are for ending our borders and ICE (many do say that), who think those who try to press their politics on others by violence and intimidation are okay if they are on the same side as them, are for impeachment without a crime or a made up crime - these people (including, I admit, some people I'm close with) are a much bigger concern and much more damaging to our country. So is a press that has abdicated its important role to join a side. And that's Brennan's team now. His response to losing his clearance here is as childish as Trump. I can't say there are many people in politics I respect. I think it kills their "souls." I can't respect Brennan now. Maybe someday the "resistance," including the media, which has come out of the closet, so to speak, with Cuomo's speech, with its anti-Americanism, will be successful in taking down Trump. In the meantime, Brennan, who seems to be anything but "silenced," might note that those who get down in the mud with Trump usually don't do so well. He's good at that.
9
Trump's modus operandi has always been: Deceive, Deny, Deflect, Discredit, Destroy.
He is a disgrace, both as a "President" and a human being.
10
Where's the beef Brennan? You got your collusion information from the free press? Seriously John, if you as CIA Director, can't give us any juicy stories about Trump-Russia collusion, than we simply don't have any.
9
Brennan pretty much gets torched here.
Has same self-awareness as Comey and Strzok.
None.
5
I wish I could find this narrative credible. I do not . But if we accept this narrative that he was talking with the Russians about suspected interference in 2016, that simply affirms that the Obama Administration was aware of it and they seemingly did little or nothing to stop it. There are too many problems with the veracity of Mr. Brennan and other's assertions regarding their actions in 2016 to afford them the benefit of the doubt.
8
Gee, anyone who has been paying any attention to this at all knew this months ago.
Well, except for the people who are paid to pay attention, then deny it.
4
I stand firmly with Mr. Brennan on this issue.
7
Spoken with great clarity and conviction. As the Director of the CIA during the height of the Presidential election campaign, he would know of most if not all of the behind the scenes activities by Russia in particular, well known for decades for its covert activities.
Avid Follower,
Brisbane, Australia
8
"Russia practiced the art of shaping political events abroad . . .". It takes one to know one. This is exactly what the CIA has been doing to OTHER countries since it's inception in 1948. And Brennen knows that. There's not a trick in the book mentioned in this article that the CIA has not practiced on the Russians or anyone else they see as a threat to American interests.
So why is Brennen risking legitimate accusations of hypocrisy ( and I have no doubt this is a cause for some humor in espionage circles)) to warn the American public about the dangers of the espionage techniques of the Russians? Well meaning perhaps. He obviously knows about Russian capabilities from his work in the CIA.
Nonetheless I think the Trump campaigns collusion with the Russians lies more in their nefarious financial ties to wealthy Russian oligarchs which is, of course, all wrapped up in political intrigues, political thugs, and International corporate business corruption.
Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort have proven that there are many top advisors in the Republican Party who are more than willing to participate in their big scheme to become the ONLY ruling party is the USA. Vote fixing, voter suppression of minority's, gerrymandering are all practices that have filtered down to the lowliest state and local officials of the Republican Party. I submit that the unreservedly corrupt Republican Party is a much greater threat to our democracy than the Russians.
5
After the Helsinki meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin Mr. Brennan accused President Trump of treason, apparently for not calling out Mr. Putin for Russian perfidies that occurred while he served as president Obama’s CIA director. Other than telling Putin to “cut that out” what actions didPresident Obama take to counter them? What actions did Brennan advise him to take? If his advice was not taken why did he not speak out when it could have made a difference? Was he as exercised about Obama’s real time refusal to act when it could have at least given pause to Russia’s perfidious behavior as he clearly was by Trump’s reluctance to berate Putin on the international stage for actions taken while president was a private citizen? If he wasn’t, why not? If he was, who silenced him?
Clearly Mr. Brennan’s definition of treason is dependent upon who occupies the White House and correspondingly, in position to enrich him with power and status. He bet on he wrong horse and now he has been exposed as the opportunistic political hack he is. His current lament that revocation of his security clearance somehow constitutes an assault on his right of free speech is overshadowed by his absence of expression during his tenure as CIA director to speak out when it could have made a difference.
10
I certainly agree that Mr. Mueller should be allowed to proceed as far as the evidence takes him.
And any thinking, sentient individual knows that Mr. Trump has no morals, ethics, or common decency, The man has made his way through life as a vulgar, lying huckster.
What strikes me is that we have created a technology (the internet) and platforms (social media) without thinking through how these technologies could be used against us individually, in business, and in government.
In other words, we (especially the smartest and brightest among us) either did not know what we were doing, or did not care, or both.
And now here we are with our very democratic way of life threatened by any clever individual (like Mr. Trump) or government (like Russia) bent on malfeasance and we really have no way to effectively protect ourselves (especially from the willingly ignorant hoi polloi).
And all monitored closely by our intelligence community as this slow motion national train-wreck was unfolding.
Moreover, it is apparent to me that the normalization of lying, cheating, vicious ad hominem attacks, and willing ignorance to the point of gleeful bliss is now a part of the society we accept (well I dont accept it).
This is all so unbelievable to me. I have lived 60 years to witness this in my Nation?
Shame on us all.
MB
12
@Michael Bain You forgot television in your list of tecnologies that can be used to spread disinformation.
Trump shifting into broken-clock mode again: both Brennan & Clapper were less than transparent when not outright prevaricating in Senate committee testimony.
Who's next, which blameless spook? Hayden? Comey? Rice? The only one on Trump's dance card who doesn't smell bad is Sally Yates.
2
Tomorrow something else, I'm tired. Its not hard to imagine Trump launching nuclear weapons the day he gets impeached. The ultimate distraction.
6
If Mr. Brennan has knowledge that the President is being blackmailed by Russia, he can explain it without revealing intelligence sources and methods. It is clear by now he has none, or he would have revealed it as an MSNBC pundit.
Furthermore, the Steele ‘dossier’ Brennan pushed is Russian disinformation, and the FBI, US intelligence community and John Brennan have never proven otherwise.
8
While President Trump is foolish in his campaign speeches and ongoing remarks regarding the press, and in his role as leader of the Executive Branch, he should be held accountable for his sweeping statements about the press. At what point can a President, by his words, breach constitutional rights? (Alan D.?) At the same time, despite Brennan’s “hogwash” on collision, we actually don’t know! Maybe Mueller does, but he hasn’t shared. By watching CNN and MSNBC, you would think the case is open and shut...kinda like Hillary’s victory! Shame on the press if Trump isn’t guilty!
2
Mr. Brennan, the son of Irish immigrants, has done what Trump never could or was equipped to do: Mr Brennan is an accomplished and skilled public servant, a man with a great set of skills and experience in his field.
Mr. Brennan's security clearance was lifted by Trump as a clear act of revenge by that petty, incompetent poseur in hock up to his eyeballs to Russian oligarchs and is one of the key travesties of 2018, and Trump is responsible for many travesties so far this year.
This action of Trump's will, I hope, cause the legal noose that I trust is being put around his neck, to tighten, slowly but inexorably. He deserves no less. We deserve to see at least that.
5
Only a sap would believe Putin's denials; the sap in this case is our so-called president.
12
@Sgt. Scott How did a sap get elected president in the first place? I guess that's who the people wanted.
2
@Robert Swims
It's not who *most* of the people wanted.
Millions more voted for someone else than voted for him.
Most voters weren’t saps. They voted for Hillary, remember?
2
Here's the deal (a good Midwestern term of art).
The Russians have decided over time that their wounded Slavic egos must be assuaged with some new set of victories.
Lost their evil empire? They want it back. Lost their colonies? They want them back.
This is all while Russian men drink themselves to death by the average age of 54, Russian enlisted personnel drink brake fluid from their fighter jets to get high, and Russians prostitute their children to make ends meet in their dire economic circumstances.
Russians cannot have a democracy. They have a mindset and a culture that will never permit competing political parties. So in a couple of generations, there won't be any Russians.
We will miss them, a great people, fatally flawed.
3
"Hogwash" is now my favorite word. Except I also like "gerrymandering", "electoral college" and "voter suppression".
Trumpism at it's best.
7
I can't believe Trump himself could get a security clearance if he were not Pres. (If he could, then the designation is not worth much.)
Perhaps we should require future candidates to be screened for one in advance of the campaign. If they can't get a clearance, they should not hold the office.
10
@PEA
Perhaps they should also be given a basic test in economics?
That might have made us a good deal more prosperous during the previous administration.
2
Oh, your referring to our previous President who brought us back from the worst economy since the depression and saved the American auto industry and set in motion regulations on the banking industry to try and prevent them from wrecking us again. The guy who set us on our present trajectory of startling stock market gains. Ya, he had no idea what he was doing.
8
John O. Brennan, of course, is an American hero.
In contemplating a "closing scene" with Trump and the Mueller investigation, the question I have is—
Is there conceivably ANY charge or "smoking gun(s)" that would persuade the eighteen (or whatever number is needed) Republican Senators to vote to convict Trump and remove him?
That is the question.
9
Where are the past Presidents, the Senate statesmen, the House leaders? Why are they not speaking out? Why are they silent?
Voters - please vote and make a difference.
It is time for acquiescence and appeasement to be recognized for what it is - capitulation.
Thank you Mr. Brennan for speaking out - please continue to lead us.
14
@H. Johnry
Maybe their silence says something you do not want to hear?
I do appreciate the write up. Regardless of opinion on
Mr Brennan , he is a sharp well spoken Man. Informed and aware.
Applaud his genuine comments.
Free speech lives and i certainly hope he continues to bring his vast experience and perspective to form fact based opinion such as these.
Keep the presses Free.
8
"... It is critically important that the special counsel, Robert Mueller, and his team of investigators be allowed to complete their work without interference — from Mr. Trump ...," according to John Brennan.
Yes, true, but will the American people believe the results of an investigation based on a cold, objective collection of facts analyzed by trained law enforcement personnel?
Not if President Trump has anything to say about it.
18
I remain uninfluenced by this investigation. If there was a full scall politically-motivated investigation of anyone, it would turn up at least as many damaging associations as this investigation. So far, there are no direct criminal activities tied to Trump. And for the ultra-partisan reading this; I am a Democrat whose main source of information is the New York Times.
13
No criminal activities tied to Trump? Apparently you exclusively read the Styles section. Today alone you might have heard about Trump’s campaign manager being on trial.
1
“There are no direct ties...”
Because why? Mueller and his team don’t leak; the investigation is still current and ongoing and so, despite Giuliani constantly spewing lies and vitriol, the special counsel appropriately continues in private. No, democratic person, no way would anyone accrue the same number of legal woes if investigated the same way. It’s been done, remember? Trump is dirty, he is a compulsive liar w/zero impulse control, and he will go down in infamy. Along with this most culpable and complicit GOP Congress—both houses (they’re worse than he is, if possible).
Period.
5
@William Taylor, are you a Trump supporter too?
I fail to see how anyone can remain unaware of the progress the Mueller investigation is making, with dozens of indictments and multiple guilty pleas. You complain that the investigation has yet to prove criminal activity by Trump. Be patient--the investigation is young.
4
These 2000-plus comments confirm that nobody will ever change anybody else's mind about anything. The battle lines have been clearly drawn. "Nobody's right, if everybody's wrong."
8
John Brennan is being referred to as a "patriot" by many in the media and readers. Is the definition of a "patriot" a man who lied under oath to Congress - and to the American people - and began the "Russia collusion" campaign by peddling the Steele dossier to Harry Reid? Yes, the truth will come out, and hopefully that happens soon. In the meantime, John Brennan does not deserve to be called a patriot. He's disgraced the CIA and the entire intelligence community by politicizing government entities that are supposed to be free of politics. Oh, by the way, his free speech is not being stifled by anyone. I'm sure it's understood in the White House that removing his security clearance would lead to more attacks as indeed it has. Good for you on that point...it's America and you're allowed to speak. You're just not guaranteed a security clearance in perpetuity.
16
You may be missing the point - it is not the lack of access that is an issue, it is the removal as a “punishment”. This is unprecedented and is intended to discourage legal investigations and dampen free speech, since DJT stated that he took the action because he did not like what Brennan was saying and because he had involvement at the start of the (very necessary) Russia Investigation. Refer Frank Figliuzzi’s comments in MSNBC.
5
Thank goodness for Brennan and other true and courageous Americans -- the only thing standing between the US and a Trump dictatorship.
20
In the light of Comeys understanding of the scope and scale of Russian election meddling, what could possibly have led him to drop the re-opening Hillary investigation bombshell? Inexplicable act and devastating timing.
As for Russians being able to find witting or unwitting dupes in the US populace we need only consider Sacha Baron Cohens current TV series. Evidence aplenty of the guilelessness of those on the lunar right.
10
Assured by nearly every poll that Clinton would win and having already announced the Clinton investigation over, Comey was (justifiably) afraid of delaying when more emails were found on Anthony Weiner’s laptop. Waiting would have been criticized for playing politics and likely used to question the legitimacy of a Clinton win. Such criticism would be compounded by Clinton’s close association with Weiner’s wife. Without a crystal ball, Comey was in a no win situation.
Because of Russian interference in our 2016 presidential election--it went far beyond "meddling"--and the revelations of Facebook and other social media of being bought by Russians or Russian proxies--I no longer trust comments such as those first few below. That anyone--and I mean anyone in this United States--could accuse John Brennan of any deception, approval of torture after we now know that our new recently confirmed CIA Director did indeed endorse torture in 2002,03 I fear the Trumpites and the Ruskies are firm allies. Trump would love to play the negotiator who wins Putin over to our side--but it's the old adage about Putin having a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent. Trump is an inept negotiator---can you say North Korea, Shanghai, Helsinki?--but yearns for approval. The only Nobel he might now win is the Piece Prize---a piece of America to every authoritarian government on the planet.
6
Thank you so much to the wonderful Republicans who gave us the presidency of Donald J. Trump. Hats off to all of those wise Republican citizens who knew so well how to make America so very great again! Thank you 1000 times. Really, your indebted fellow citizens of our growing, proud dictatorship really just can't say enough!
12
Our greatness lives, as it always gas, in the process of expanding law and government against the Populists, who believe that their greater numbers mean they have the right to control all minorities: of skin color, ethnicity, faith, affine, lifestyle, freedom to think.
The demagogues who look like them, and claim to be just like them (aside from having a billion or so dollars more) have found them easy marks.
Read their publications and web sites, though they may nauseate you. (use the TOR browser, those sites are loaded with backtracking tools, and you don’t want to end up on their mailing- or enemy-lists).
Learn about the ways the mist bizarre conspiracy theories are piled up - and accepted by people willing to believe each other’s “research”.
Our strength has always been based on our usually-improving laws: first, kidnapped Africans and their children were property, then separate and unequal, separate but equal, now, except in Trumpworld and hateworld, treated like everyone else. Same for women, their right to vote and hold office.
Until a surprisingly recent decision, the Griswold case, you couldn’t get a condom in Connecticut, until the Supreme Court ruled that having sex for fun, not procreation, was the business of consenting adults involved.
This was the underpinning for the right of the impregnated to choose abortion, and the Gay Rights laws and rulings.
This is our greatness - equality under Law for all.
When we start backsliding, we lose any hope of staying “Great”
2
Thank you, Mr. Brennan, for your continuing integrity in this matter.
13
>
Pace yourself people. We are at the beginning of this train wreck not the end.
As DJT becomes more cornered, as events surely turn against him (Dems get the Subpoena, Mueller report released etc....), he'll only get worse not better. Just look at the trajectory so far.
What we have witnessed so far is child's play compared to what is coming.
19
The current occupant of the Oval Office is a dictator in the making, a lout, and an autocratic bully with no regard for anyone but himself. Mr Brennan's long service as part of the National Security apparatus of our country gives him a birds eye view of the transgressions and criminal behavior 45 continues to engage in. We all see it, Brennan has given voice to what is apparent: tRUmp has participated as a Russian asset in a Russian cyberwar event that gave him the presidency. Taking away a security clearance won't silence Brennan, and it makes 45 look ever more guilty. We also all see that Jared Kushner, who shouldn't have a clearance at all,for very good reasons, still does, again thanks to 45. It's so obvious whose judgment is impaired! tRUmp has managed to cheapen and debase everything he touches, including security clearances. The stink from this kleptocratic administration won't leave us any time soon. That's the real tragedy.
I have my issues with Brennan's actions during the Bush Administration, but I don't doubt for a minute his patriotism and comprehensive knowledge of what it takes to keep us safe. He must keep pointing out what we all see - and we must take heed of his words, and ultimately ACT to get him impeached, and hopefully, removed from office.
19
I wonder if the same people commenting here now that Brennan is somehow deserving of this ignominy heaped on him by this President and who also doubt the veracity of Mr Brennan’s claims were the same individuals who believed that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
That being said, I will be happy to agree with Robert Mueller if he finds that there wasn’t a conspiracy to defraud American voters and steal an election.
Can or will any of the same individuals I outlined above do the same if Mr. Mueller has a slam dunk case against this President?
I wouldn’t bet on it.
16
Love him or hate him, The Donald is doing the right thing here, and hopefully it won't stop with Brennan. People who don't need that level of security clearance as part of their job shouldn't have it.
9
@AllJ, I think you misunderstand the reason for high-level intelligence officers retaining their security clearances. It isn't for their benefit--it's for ours. It's to preserve their institutional knowledge, which is invaluable to our security.
If Trump were to remove security clearances because he fears an investigation into his campaign, it's an authoritarian move. He is removing the soft guardrails of our democracy.
16
I would bet that Mr. Brennan has had access to solid information leading him to believe that there has been collusion and obstruction of justice on the part of Mr. Trump. The press has also made a pretty good case for them as well. I hope Mr. Muller confirms this and the GOP gets a spine and boots the whole lot of these grifters out of Washington. I think their aim is to plunder the U.S. for their own gain and the gain of the rich. Sadly, they will take down the planet and all of us in the process. It makes me sick to my stomach every day that this sham of a government continues to stay in office!
12
One of the most distressing and puzzling aspects of this sorry situation is the paragraph beginning 'In my many conversations with James Comey' in which Brennan refers to their knowledge of Russian intent and action against American people and processes. And yet Comey chose to sabotage the process himself by alerting a vulnerable population on the eve of the election to the specious non-issue of Hilary's emails, rather than this clear and present danger. And now we are where we are.
5
@MMac
Comey was a bit stupid, trying too hard to play the game - he thought Clinton would win, and wanted to make sure everything was aboveboard. He didn't think Trump would win, and didn't want the heat of revealling the truth about him. Also, some FBI agents were Trumpers, so they were threatening (reportedly) to reveal all if he didn't.
Collusion, conspiracy - so much of our vocabulary implies that criminals undermining our government and obstructing justice will hide - where in this case, Trump orders the Russians to hack DNC emails on the air, during a debate, openly - and they do so, immediately after the order. He doesn't hide his dismissal and attempts to destroy the witnesses against him, and obstruct justice, he does it openly and then tells his Russian masters how good it is to get Comey out of there and end the Russian investigation.
And here's another, and we continue to see an entire lack of limits in what Republicans will turn a blind eye to.
8
I hope that in a not so far future all the people, I mean ALL, who helped Trump to drag this country to the edge of chaos, division and humiliation would be held accountable for their complicity.
13
Brennon is no patriot.
He is an angry partisan, who makes a bold assertion that Trump’s denial of collusion with Russia is “hogwash.” Yet he has not one shred of evidence to support his claim. Not one. Nor does the press.
Brennan is entitled to speak all he wants.
However, half of the voters from the last election have no interest in listening to him and his ridiculous claims.
And I doubt there are any members of the Trump administration who have any need to consult with Brennan, which is why his security clearance was lifted.
It is now time for Brennan to relax and enjoy his remaining time with those who actually love him.
Thank you Mr. Brennan for you past service to the country, which includes both Democrats and Republicans.
8
@Glaucon - the fact that Brennan is a principled person with knowledge that he is not permitted to share indicates that his statements should carry more weight than anyone else who makes statements without direct evidentiary support.
6
Losing his security clearance gives him less credibility. He cant trade on supposed secret knowledge he doesn't have.
5
@Alan Klein -- Brennan's credibility derives not from the fact that he had a security clearance, but from the fact that he has served in the intelligence community honorably during four presidencies, two Republican and two Democrat.
9
@Alan Klein
He knows everything he knows now. Which is everything relevant.
3
Some observations on the comments here.
Why do so many anonymous accounts use the same phrases and patterns?
The existence of proof is different than revealing it in its entirety when ALL of the potential criminals are found. I'd say "if any", but aren't we up to 23 or so publicly charged now?
Opposition is essential in our form of government. Just remember that the President is only one of the two branches which we can directly influence.
25
The Internet Research Agency in St Petersburg is having trouble getting their hands on a supercomputer with useable AI.
They still need to rely on human resources, who are very good, but not fully capable of recognizing speech and thought patterns outside of their own experience.
8
This OpEd is of historical importance because it reveals the extent to which people in government, even people in the highest positions in government, with access to its most closely guarded secrets rely on the free press to understand the world. When Brennan says that he believes Trump colluded with the Russians to rig his election, and his company may be a money laundering front, he bases this assertion not on top secret government files. He tells us he got his information from the same place we readers of the Times did: the free press. Anyone who doubts the importance of a free press to maintain an effective government should give this some thought. The press doesn't just inform the voters. It informs high government officials too.
53
@Rob when objective journalism is in action, but that's not the case anymore.
4
Thank you Mr. Brennan. You are a patriot. I, however, would not have used the word "hogwash." As a native of Queens, NY (the same borough that gave us Donnie Boy Trump), I would use a different word. One that decent people don't use in the newspaper or public forums like this.
31
Thank you, Mr. Brennan, for saying in plain English that which a lot of politicians and journalists and newscasters only hint at. This president is an abomination and every citizen who is concerned about the future of our country should be spreading the same story.
Will attacking Trump rile up his base? Maybe. But they are only a small minority of the country. The vast majority of the country believes that all people are created equal, they believe in the rule of law, they believe that no politician should be working with a hostile foreign power, they believe in a free press.
We only have 82 days until the midterms!!! Register to vote, urge your friends and relatives to register to vote, and, if you can, contribute to any organization fighting voter suppression.
37
@Joseph Thomas citizens that are concerned about this country want to see Mueller, Comey, Brennan, and anyone else involved in this biggest political scandal in American history indicted...that's what this country wants and needs...the whole truth and nothing but the truth!!!
1
Thanks you for your service Secretary Brennan. The Manchurian Candidate is a Russian traitor desperate to hold on to the office the Russians stole for him. We will rid ourselves of that criminal parasite soiling OUR White House along with the rest of his Ceausescu criminal mobster gang.
17
Commenter L asks:
"Can we please stop using the word collusion,' and start using the word 'conspiracy?'"
Glad to.
"Donald Trump and his campaign engaged in a conspiracy with a hostile foreign adversary to defraud the United States."
Well, I guess that's the question, isn't it? Sounds like you've made your mind up, but there are some of us out there who look for actual evidence. Got any?
6
Are there any patriots left in the Republican Party ?
23
Brennan claims Trump's claim of "no collusion" to be hogwash - but has not one shred of evidence.
I say, Brennan is hogwash.
14
@99percent His "evidence" is a JOKE Trump made, one of 1000 jokes he makes in every rally! I find it, as Comey said (about Trump) "disturbing" that these people have ZERO sense of humor.
Trump, no matter how bad people think he is, at least has a sense of humor LOL. He has charisma, he has charm, & for some reason that makes these people hate him.
3
99cent
You off quite a bit. Trump claims no collusion without any proof.
sincerely
45cent
@Alia
All con artists trade in charisma and charm.
Some of us can see through that.
2
In the end, those whom tRump smites will smite back en-masse and destroy his "presidency". "What goes around, comes around" ... and it can really hurt ... bad. Let's all who really care about the survival of our democratic republic hope the end of reign of tRump and his troops is near.
14
Questions remain Brennan admits. Let Mueller investigate for another couple years or another couple decades or 100 years and find out for sure. Personally, I think it is a joke. If there was collusion by Trump it should have been found by now. The Russians preferred Trump over Hillary. So what? Obama went to England and broadcast his opinion on Brexit. Talk about putting pressure on the electorate! Brennan is a political hack and if he has one shred of evidence against Trump he should reveal it and then GO AWAY.
9
Good he needed it revoked. He's an angry man!
9
What did Paul Manafort actually do to earn a whopping $40 million? That’s a massive amount of money to pay just for “consulting,” especially as it appears that all the money went to Manafort and Gates.
10
These are the words of a good man.
These are the words of a man who has stayed true to his principles, even though they have cost him.
I wish Americans (and Canadians) would look back into the past. Put yourselves into the shoes of the people who founded your country. What were they thinking as they wrote their essays, the ones you read in your history book in school? What were they feeling as they marched toward the battlefield? What was it like, forming a government under the nose of another government, one that wasn't representing you, but only itself?
Have you ever read a history book and thought, man, I wish I had been there? I wonder what it was like?
You're living history right now. Read Brennan's words. He's making his move. What's yours?
18
Dear Mr. Brennan:
You were director of the US central intelligence for all the years spanning the 2016 presidential election, and the only information your column provides is nothing more than could have been gleaned by a cursory glance at the nightly news. Now, you have been made more "aware- thanks to the reporting of an open and free press..." If the CIA has no more insight into worldly affairs than that, I am more afraid of the Russians than ever. What's "hogwash" is the debate over your security clearance because you don't learn anything.
7
Most people do NOT under what a security clearance is. Brennan CANNOT reveal classified information EVER. He could be tried under the espionage act if he revealed such information. True with or without a security clearance in force.
IF he has a security clearance, a current government official like Gina Haspel, now CIA director, could discuss secret information with Brennan and ask for his advice. That is now forbidden. We lose the benefit of Brennan's vast experience.
So what did Trump accomplish by revoking Brennan's security clearance ? Brennan can still "cash in" as a commentator and criticize Trump. Perhaps the security clearance kerfuffle is another "shiny object" to divert attention from Omarosa.
23
Quite a few comments suggesting that Brennan is upset or feeling vindictive because his security clearance has been revoked. But after seeing him on the news over the last few days and having read this op-ed, it is easy to objectively conclude that he has not once complained about his security clearance but only explained why he thought it was taken away.
And why should he complain? After all, he still knows what he knows; his intelligence and memory were not take from him with his security clearance. And, as a private citizen, he is free to share his opinion and knowledge (as security will allow).
This latest ploy by our excuse for a president is lame and desperate. We'll know how desperate if he goes after the clearances of active federal employees.
30
I am no fan of Mr. Brennan: his participation in torture undermines his authority, moral and legal.
But he's right about one thing: the president is lacking in sufficient intellect to understand the damage he does. Over decades, We The People have created a system, flawed, to ensure peaceful transfer of power, and that the brain trust that passes the baton is not far away and can be tapped, as needed. By design, if any of the sycophants around the president were to do their jobs and inform him.
Torture, John Brennan, is always wrong.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/01/does-it-matter-if-j...
Damaging decisions by the administration are always wrong, as well.
129
@PDXtallmany What damage has President Trump actually done?
Let's see here...Brennan says it's 'this' and Trump's been saying it's 'that'.
Well, it's gotta be one of 'em and it's bloody obvious it can't be 'that' - Trump lies more than the Clinton's, in bleed'n aggregate, were ever accused of doing...
7
The President is so guilty he has an unconsciousness of guilt. Any "American" who believes lyin' Trump is off of their rocker.
16
as a one time holder of a security clearance i can safely say that neither trump nor any of his family would be allowed to have a security clearance at any level under normal circumstances. their marriages to foreign born persons, financial entanglements, foreign contacts with russians, and bankruptcies to name a few reasons would rule out any kind of clearance.
31
@allen. Ok, if you were elected by the People, you would be able to get it despite all those things you claim, too. But too bad you were not, you had to get it old-fashioned way. Oh well!
Brennan is a true patriot. Served three Presidents. Knows his stuff when it comes to intelligence.
Trump? Stable genius. Knows the art of put down and bullying. May be a Russian plant.
Take your pick.
16
@Hmmmm...SanDiego Also, Brennan served Gus Hall well, and how he was ever given top secret clearance is the snafu of the past 30 years.
Brennan for President! So refreshing to hear/read plain-spoken truth. Thank you, Mr. Brennan! I've appreciated all your truthful, strong, well-spoken commentaries regarding the current occupant of the Oval Office who is befouling and degrading the very Office of Presidency of the United States.
17
Thank you Mr. Brennan for loving our country and being a patriot The first amendment us not first by accident our society must allow all voices to be heard. I came to the conclusion that Donald Trump was Putins puppet by his sycophant relationship with our arch enemy. I was stationed in Germany twice in my military career and was briefed in every threat briefing why the Russians were not to be trusted. We have to respect the Russian threat only because of their nuclear armada. Russia’s economy is not even as big as California’s and unlike California it is dependent on one sole commodity oil. To allow them to divide us away from our allies like NATO is plain dumb. Wake up America or at least the educated whites and the rest of us. Trump is only his bases President and uses fear of the other to divide us we must vote in a blue tsunami in November because the Republicans have proven the are complicit in Trumps corruption. Calling all patriotic Americans to the polls. Trump is a clear and present danger that we must eliminate before his hogwash taints us all.
24
Hod did the Russians interfere? And more importantly how do we stop them ? Instead of talking about it how about we actually do something about it and prevent it from happening again?
8
Mr. Brennan, you are my newest hero. We need more like you. I am thoroughly disgusted with the current administration and the constant lying. Thank you for calling them out. Keep it up until they crumble.
20
"Gullible or unprincipled individuals" are always a serious threat to any nation and in any society, in both democracy and also in autocracy.
Trump would be a great example himself.
9
@bonku
Sounds like Brennan himself who was a communist when he was hired by the CIA. Highly likely he was recruited by KGB early in his career.
5
@jaco
Where did this claim of yours that Brennan is a communist come from?
Talk about hogwash.
4
Brennen voted for the Communist Party candidate , Gus Hall, in 1976. He was never a member of the Communist Party. In his application to the CIA ( 1980) he said his vote "signaled his unhappiness with the system and was a " protest against partisanship of the Watergate era". He was 21 at the time.
Since then he has had a 25 year career in the CIA. Leaving government service in 2005.
Recruited by the KGB is romantic double agent stuff - but quite laughable in this case.
1
Mr Trump doesn't seem to realize that the more he protests, retaliates & demonizes, the more guilty he looks. If he has nothing to hide, he has no reason to protest, nothing to fear, so let the investigation proceed. If he has nothing to hide, why not vindicate himself by releasing his full tax returns for the last 3 years, like candidates & presidents before him. All of his behavior shouts that he has much to hide.
26
Thank you, John Brennan.
19
I have never been a fan of Mr Brennan, however I do respect his years of service to this country. I have no doubt that he has to the best of abilities served in the best interests of the nation.
The problem with Trump removing Mr Brennan's security clearance, the denigrating of past administration officials and law enforcement is that it weakens his ability to call upon those who have domain knowledge of highly critical areas of defense, security and diplomacy. If Trump only has around him sycophants and individuals with their own agendas how is he react in times of crisis? We have people like Pompeo and Bolton who are hair trigger ready to go to war, each with their own axe to grind.
All presidents called up previous presidents for advice regardless of party or ideology, with the exception of Trump. This nation is far weaker now with a petty snowflake like Trump at the helm.
17
When Trump "called upon Russia to find the missing emails of Mrs. Clinton", maybe the Director of the CIA should have responded "we'll find them." Why didn't Brennan find Hillary's missing emails? Was it politically expedient for them not to be found? Was it because Brennan and the FBI were assisting Hillary in violating the law? Was Brennan concerned that the missing emails would demonstrate numerous violations of US law? As usual, Brennan lies and tells half a story.
13
Really? The FBI probes weren’t enough? How you manage to equate using the wrong server with Trump’s crimes of money laundering, conspiracy with the Russians against the U.S., obstruction of justice on several different occasions, and emoluments clause violations (using businesses almost totally funded by Russian government entities). Trump does more horrid things on a given day than what Trump’s followers ever thought to accuse Hillary of.
26
@Tony
It's illegal for the the CIA to spy on its citizens.
7
Mrs. Clinton's server was not hacked. Per the FBI.
3
John Brennan describes an inside job. A person responsible for security colludes in an inside job by informing a criminal he will look the other way during a crime. The security person does not have to have contact with the criminal during the crime. Trump's suggestion that the Russian's find Clinton's emails is an invitation to meddle in the 2016 election. He makes it clear that as president, a job in which he is responsible for American security, he will look the other way. Considering his suggestion Russians interfere, his failure to support investigation of Russian activity is collusion.
9
Meeting at Trump tower, open request for Russia to release emails, pics in the Oval Office, Russian protege as campaign chair, admitting to a journalist he fired the FBI Director because of this “Russia thing”....
A common trait among the president and his blinded followers is their irrational conviction that there is no evidence of collusion, as if they actually have an inside track to the Mueller investigation. It fits their narrative, facts don’t matter, only their warped, delusional and increasingly dangerous skewed view of reality.
28
From a psycho-analytical analysis of Brennan's creative story he posted here, this is a rich spectacle of projection and mental anxiety. He makes so many accusations, without providing any proof or witnesses, that his predicates really speak of desperation. His recent actions appeal to Trump haters, but like so many times prior, are simply baseless. Maybe Trump is right, maybe not, but it is becoming clear Brennan concocted the Steel Dossier to be exposed and was a major part of the acquittal team for Clinton. All that is left now is for Trump to declassify the pertinent docs and if what is rumored becomes fact, then Brennan might want to skip the book tour and hire a lawyer.
6
I'm sorryz, but where's the part where you admit that all of this is the Republicans doing?
1
Brennan has always been a loose cannon. Now because he has decided to rant and rave about President Trump he has been promoted to Hero of the Resistance. He apparently will be getting his medal at the same ceremony Stormy and Omarosa are getting theirs.
9
@Tony Francis
I guess it will be the same ceremony where Trump explains his mythical bone spurs that caused him to flee Viet Nam and his unearned Purple Heart.
Throw in questions about the in-laws Chain Migration citizenship, and Melania's "Genius Visa" while y'all having him cornered in the barn.
14
I'm scared. I'm scared that Trump will succeed in making his Fascist ideas the law of our land. He is a despot wannabe who is working to control our newspapers and media outlets, to punish and humiliate those who do not agree with him, and is, in general, a terrible human being...and those are his good qualities.
Mark Twain is reputed to have said that he never wished anyone dead, but he had read some obituaries with great pleasure. I'll keep scanning the newspaper.
21
@William Stollar "Fascist ideas"? Which ideas are those?
5
I guess the jury is still out regarding M. Trump (incidentally for actions committed under M. Brennan's watch) but why on earth should any public servant keep top secret clearance once they leave their official capacity ?
I understand that it is supposed to be a courtesy gesture (and to be honest M. Brennan was anything but, regardless of him being right or not) and in fact mostly a mean to get a nice payoff in the myriad of consultancies orbiting around the US security apparatus. Is that really how things should work ?
To be honest if you want your clearance just shut up !
8
@AlexT
I see so you agree he and others should just shut up if they want their clearance. You're just confirming that Trump is doing this to send a message, say something negative about me you will lose your clearance.
Thank you, Mr. Brennan, for not staying silent and I hope your actions are an inspiration to others not to stay silent as well.
10
@AlexT, It is just astounding to me that any one presenting themselves as at least minimally literate would have difficulty understanding the national security advantage of retaining access to the rare knowledge & experience that is unique to the very highest levels of our national security & intelligence services. The longstanding custom of maintaining contact and continuing to inform the very few people who have had access to our highest levels of military & political intelligence has played a critical role during many of the most dangerous crisis over the last 70 years. It is not a matter of "courtesy" or access to lobbying or consulting jobs. It has been critical to maintaining insight based on the personal experiences & interactions unique to the very few individuals that have held those positions. The benefits of this practice accrue overwhelmingly to the current, not the former, office holder. And to the United States and the American people in general.
More thought, less snark would elevate the discussion and as well as our national security!
6
Thank you Director Brennan. This is what fighting back looks like. No more whining, please.
Now let's start calling a spade a spade. It was and continues to be a conspiracy. Russia attacked the U.S.
Again, thank you John Brennan for showing the way. Your leadership is sorely needed.
15
Dear John,
While I could drone on about how Clinton was (via the Clinton Foundation) much more amenable to working with Russia than Trump, or how this narrative of yours lacks evidence of any kind, I find it much easier to sum things up thusly:
You came.
You lied.
You're gone.
or maybe:
You lied.
You're done.
Bye bye.
I will let you pick.
11
After over a year of investigation it seems highly improbable that these claims of conspiracy/collusion if true, would still have no supporting evidence. The more evidence is gathered the more it seems to indicate whatever collusion occurred was between the DOJ and FBI and Fusion to frame Trump. Brennan was simply part of this conspiracy. I don't believe a word these guys say anymore.
6
You will have provide some very good specific details if you want to convince anyone. Without them, your ideas are simply fantasy, at odds with a lot of clear and diverse evidence.
12
James Brennan is a true American hero
16
@LAURIE
He's anything but. Someone in the previous administration fell asleep at the wheel and our very lax systems weren't working. Brennan is not a hero by any stretch of the imagination.
2
I hate Trump. I voted against him. But this piece by Brennan is misleading hogwash. Brennan says nothing new and he appears to imply that if Manafort and Gates are guilty of bank fraud, tax fraud, lies, that means Trump is guilty of crimes himself. Nonsense. Hogwash. Brennan has nothing to say, and he sure is saying a lot of it, like most of his lot.
7
I won't be surprised if this op ed is in a school textbook decades from now.
16
@Girth Brooks. Yeah, the school textbook for How to Overthrow an Elected President.
1
I guess the cabal of 17 intelligence agencies wasn't enough to stop the so called Russian interference Mr. CIA? And why with a budget of some $12.63 Billion the best your agency could do was say no, no, no to your Russian counterpart?
7
@Harif2
Almost as good as Hillary telling the Wall Street guys "Now cut that out". Laughable at best.
3
This guy voted communist for Gus Hall, a party and candidate that was LITERALLY supported by the USSR.
7
Under your failed leadership this happened, own it. But you refuse, why?
5
Trump doth protest too much. Many believe he is dim-witted. I do not. I believe he is savvy and cunning. His conduct increasingly implies he has much to hide. I suspect he is up to his ears in debt to the Russians.
7
Bravo, sir.
14
Have the cheerleader for Brennan forgotten...
Washington Post
Obama should fire John Brennan
By James Downie
July 31, 2014
In March, at the Council on Foreign Relations, CIA Director John Brennan was asked by NBC’s Andrea Mitchell whether the CIA had illegally accessed Senate Intelligence Committee staff computers ... Brennan answered:
As far as the allegations of, you know, CIA hacking into, you know, Senate computers, nothing could be further from the truth. I mean, we wouldn’t do that. I mean, that’s — that’s just beyond the — you know, the scope of reason in terms of what we would do. {…}
And, you know, when the facts come out on this, I think a lot of people who are claiming that there has been this tremendous sort of spying and monitoring and hacking will be proved wrong.
Now we know that the truth was far different.
and...
An apology and an internal review board might suffice if this were Brennan or intelligence leaders’ first offense, but the track record is far from spotless. In 2011, Brennan claimed that dozens of U.S. drone strikes on overseas targets had not killed a single civilian. This remarkable success rate was not only disputed at the time by news reports — even supporters of the drone program called it “absurd” — but as the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the New York Times both reported later, President Obama received reports from the very beginning of his presidency about drone strikes killing numerous civilians.
12
@Scott
And yet after all of that the left are hailing him a hero. hack maybe but certainly no hero.
4
Former C. I. A Director Brennan: HERO
13
Brennan got his feelings hurt because Trump cut off his clearance, so naturally Brennan's going to write to NYT et al and cry and whine like a spoiled child. But there is not one single reason Brennan should have clearance. Not one. He no longer works for the US government, and current CIA staff can call him if they need him, but obviously they don't need him. Go away Brennan. Hopefully, Clapper is next. And don't forget Edward Snowden, who proved that Brennan and Clapper were liars of the worst kind - bold face lying to the US citizenry as well as Congress. Brennan and Clapper have been listening in on every US Citizen's phone calls, emails, texts - they should be shipped to the archipelago.
48
@99percent
"There is not one single reason Brennan should have clearance," yet Trump bothered to revoke it, like a spoiled child. Why?
The majority of the voting public want Trump Incorporated to "go away." Get used to being dismissed by that majority.
11
@99percent
Having clearance doesn't mean Brennan (or anyone else) can just demand and receive access to whatever information they want. It means that if a situation arises for which their experience will provide valuable insight, the current administration can share that information (at their discretion) to get advice. The Trump White House could have achieved the same effect by just never calling on Brennan for advice; this is grandstanding and petty.
4
@99percent
I noticed you didn't refute Brennan's main point. That was wise.
1
Well, done, sir- using words like clarion and suborn will undoubtedly preclude Mr. Trump from understanding your essay.
9
Mr. Brennan should immediately file suit against Mr. Trump for violating his First Amendment rights to free speech. Revoking Mr. Brennan's security clearance was done for the express purpose of hurting Mr. Brennan's reputation because of what he said about the president. This should be addressed in Federal court.
12
@John Seriously? Please explain how JB's free speech rights have been violated.
I'll help get you started: there is no constitutional right to have, and/or keep a security clearance.
2
President Trump's tweets are becoming more erratic, lacking cohesion and good judgment. He's gone totally insane , his methods are unsound. It's time to terminate his command. Get Willard on the line.
6
Thank you Mr. Brennan for speaking out in defense of our democracy. We need all the help we can get.
7
Says the guy who initiated and ran a coup attempt against the duly elected President of the United States. Mr. Brennan, you should lose more than your clearance; you should lose your freedom for your participation in the largest and worst political scandal this country has ever endured. All the dirty laundry will be aired, eventually, and you and your cohort in this illegal coup attempt will pay the price.
9
Sounds like your bacon ain't exactly crispy, DJ.
14
@Stos Thomas
Thanks DJ...and may I have another serving, Sir ?
If you have evidence of this "collusion" it is your job as a "patriot" to produce it and not to prattle on in the opinion sections of newspapers. Until that time, I think the revocation of your security clearance was in order.
5
Brennan should be thankful he has not been indicted for LYING to Congress about investigating Senators who were looking into CIA actions.
I suppose it will come next. Indict this bloviator.
4
This constant Trump-Brennan fighting is too generic to carry much weight. Since both spend a lot of time in Jersey perhaps can be resolved on the golf course.
2
Certainly, Trump is a huge problem. But he could not do what he has done, and continues to do, without his collaborators. They are at worst his criminal accomplices and at best his “Good Germans.”
8
PATRIOTS--- Brennan is decrying as loud as he possibly can that the hounds are at our gates! If it had been Paul Revere the CRIES COULD NOT BE MORE CLEAR!!! Every patriot in range of his warning should take up this cause to DEFEND OUR DEMOCRACY and others abandon the worship of a demagogue of the TYRANT that is Donald J. TRUMP.
12
The only way to end this madness is for all of us to vote in large numbers. All those that voted for this madness including the smashing of all of our true ideals with liberty and justice for all only will have this coming election to vote for the real American ideals and kick these haters and deniers and cowards out of Our White House for good. Do it for Aretha the Queen of goodness and respect and love. This is a crying soulful time in America. Send corporal bone spurs back back to Purtin and his handlers.
4
It is hard to find common ground on political issues these days. I am a faithful reader of the WSJ and an occasional reader of the Times. It is discouraging to see so many determined to jump to judgements before facts are known with certainty. At a glance there seem to be somewhat more varied opinions in the WSJ on these subjects than in the Times, quicker acceptance of more extreme views in the Times as well.
A suggestion towards a more rational debate. Why not publish the most liked Ltr to the Editor on political issues in the Times to the similar letter on the same subject from the WSJ each day in each paper? Good for circulation and perhaps for comity as well.
You are welcome.
2
Why do private citizens have security clearances? What is the point, they no longer work for the government.
Please notice the NY Times editorial picks are all long on sentiment about the Russia collusion but lacking evidence. Where are we after nearly two years of investigation?
So far, Paul Manafort is being tried for tax evasion, a crime for which he is being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. What is the purpose of the solitary confinement? Last time I checked it was child molesters who were targeted in prison, not tax evaders.
The NY Times and the vast majority of its readers, cannot point to one solid piece of evidence, which you know if there were, it would have been leaked by now.
John Brennan's clearance was revoked because he no longer works for the government and to be honest if it were up to me I would have do so as well. Mr. Brennan does not seem well.
Crazy people do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. Brennan and the NY Times have fallen into this category. They accuse and accuse and provide no evidence but we are to accept their reality.
President Trump won the election, get over it or prove he did not. Even Rosenstein says Russians did not affect the outcome.
The NY Times is where I come for a good laugh. Thank you for never failing to deliver!
6
@jeffries, Why solitary confinement?
How about witness tampering and a flight risk for starters?
As far as I know, Manafort has not filed a Writ of Habeas Corpus. He must be sure it won't be granted.
8
@jeffries The judge let the people in the NM child school-shooting training compund go out on bail, yet Manafort gets 23-hour solitary confinment. The Bishops & priests in Catholic Church scandal are walking around free. But........Manafort. Because he worked for Trump.
Insane. Trump Derangement Syndrome.
I have almost no doubt that the Russian government routinely interferes with US elections, including the 2016 election. I don't like that, but that's life. I also have almost no doubt that Trump tried to (and, obviously, did) win the 2016 election.
What would NOT be OK with me would be the Russian government and Trump working together -- i.e. "colluding" -- in their effort to keep Hillary Clinton from winning the 2016 election. But merely wishing for that, or even alleging it, isn't enough. Many people wish for it, and many people have alleged it. What we're look for -- what we hired Mueller to look for -- is evidence that it happened. Not wishes, not allegations, but evidence.
So far, Brennan appears to be nothing more than yet another "wisher" and "alleger." If he's got actual evidence, he should get on the phone to Mueller and tell him. If not, he's free to "wish" and "allege" all he wants, but we are free not to take him seriously.
4
"... the question of why Putin/Russia would prefer to have a republican as President."
Contrary to popular belief, a Presidential candidate is not required to give up once he learns that the Russian government is rooting for him. He's not allowed to "collude" with the Russian government to bring about that result, but he's allowed to try to win.
We hired Mueller to look for collusion. So far, he hasn't reported any. Many observers insist this means he's found gobs and gobs of evidence, but has chosen not to tell us about it. Maybe that's it, or maybe he just hasn't found any. All we know for sure is that he hasn't told us about anything.
I love it that Trump tried to 'punish' and intimidate Brennan by revoking clearance and this article is the result.
Brennan is, of course, significantly more credible than Trump.
8
President Trump will come to regret revoking Mr. Brennan's security clearance just as he must now be regretting the firing of Director Comey which led to the appointment of Special Counsel Mueller and allegations of obstruction of justice that arose out of that firing.
If indeed President Trump's denial of collusion turns out to be a hogwash, then shouldn't congressmen like Mr. Nunes, Gowdy, Mitch McConnell, and the like be also charged with aiding and abetting obstruction of justice for their refusal to safeguard Mr. Mueller from being fired by Mr. Trump?
6
Mr. Brennan's statements against the abuses of power and non-stop lies of this administration are fresh air for those of us who watch, aghast and weary, as our Constitutional privileges are questioned and decried, and the most corrupt hold positions of power. It's hard to recognize aspects of our country, as once patriotic citizens announce that there are good reasons for families to be separated at our southern border, who side with Trump and Putin over our own law enforcement and national intelligence professionals, believe in Q nonsense, and spread the spin that Fox news and other fake news sites (possibly Russian originated) deliver. Thank you, Mr. Brennan.
14
@Mia
And Gus Hall plus Putin thanks you ,also.
We have no doubt that Russia was involved in our 2016 election and Russia invested lot of resources to make Trump the president of America. Trump was recruited by KGB years ago and was grooming him to be the president. We salute you Mr.Brennan for your service. Putin never forgot that we broke the Soviet and he will do anything to take revenge. I hope Trump will not silence Mr.Brennan.
6
@ASHRAF CHOWDHURY - if Trump was recruited by KGB years ago, shouldn't Brennan have figured it out? Or figured out how to stop the "Russian Hacking of the Election" or whatever other conspiracies? After all, that would have been his job.
Mr. Trump is "hiding in plain sight." I have never seen someone act so guilty. And Congress is enabling him. Shame on them! Vote 2018.
6
If Brennan was not using his security clearance to get secret information for personal gain, losing his security clearance was as meaningless as no longer having a key to the executive bathroom at the CIA.
2
The American people have been complacent. Awash in consumerism, distracted by material wealth and kept busy by debt, Americans are both the driver of the current state of our great nation's woes and the solution. Politicians will not fix this problem. Americans need to refocus on the American experiment and the building of a nation that practices freedom and dignity for all that desire to be a part of its grand design.
2
I'm no fan of the people who run the secret rogue operation we call the C.I.A., but Mr. Brennan is doing the right thing here by speaking out loud and clear, and I have no hesitation in thanking him for it.
At the same time, I can still hardly believe that some people think he has no right to speak up as a citizen or that he's "grandstanding", or disparage him for speaking out. Shame on you people. You are, in the literal sense of the word, betraying America's ideals.
10
I find it mldly interesting that so many of the screaming attacks on John Brennan rely upon fake facts straight off Newsmax.
10
Do we or do we not want a democracy?
Do we or do we not want a democracy?
Do we or do we not want a democracy?
Do we or do we not want a democracy?
Do we or do we not want a democracy?
3
Thank you for your service, sir. Please continue to speak out. We need you!
6
The FBI nor the entire US intelligence community cannot prove that the Steele 'dossier' is other than Russian disinformation intended to harm the President of the United States. John Brennan has been at the fore promoting the 'dossier' as factual evidence since it was proffered to him by Steele. On page one of the 'dossier', Steele admits his sources for it are 'Kremlin and former FSB officers'. the entire 'Russian collusion' story has been the most successful Russian disinformation campaign in American history.
2
When it seems like more and more of the Republican Party have lost their minds, and many Democrats are afraid to speak out, what a fine, clear, heroic Patriot we have in Director Brennan, a man who speaks the truth and does not relent. You will be a sane voice for History to record, Sir, amidst the vitriolic insanity coming from this unworthy, dangerous President.
8
It's so obvious what is going on. More than enough evidence for collusion has been unearthed by the Press. There is ample evidence of Trump's decades-long symbiotic relationship with Russian organized crime/Russian government. There is ample evidence that the Kremlin interfered in our election in order to get Trump elected. There is ample evidence that, in return for help with the election, Trump has aided and abetted the Kremlin (absolving Putin over Russian interference at the Helsinki summit -- c'mon now, really? REALLY did we see that???).
It's so obvious. An hostile foreign government has infiltrated our government to the highest level. There is only thing keeping the President in office -- cowardly Republicans who are incapable of leading this great country.
9
It amazes me that thoughtful people still defend Trump. I do not recall any previous President revoking wholesale the security clearances of a dozen formerly high-ranking officials. I do not recall any president incessantly labeling the press "enemies of the people." I do not recall any other president calling upon Russia to assist in the internal affairs of the United States. I do not recall any previous president embarking on the whole dismantling of a previous administration's policies. I do not recall any previous president in my lifetime demanding to spend nearly 100-million on a military parade. I do not recall in my lifetime a president who willfully disregards the service of military members by removing protections against fraud and bankruptcy. I do not remember a president who has no grasp of science, of the environment, of health, or of the arts. I have never seen an administration so fully and completely populated by outright criminals attempting to steal everything right down to the very last carpet tack in their office. I can only believe that those who still hold to Trump and his murderous crew are deluded by greed and fear.
11
@James. Your post, in toto, I am sending to our local 'Senator', who sent me a canned reply to my question re: Kavanaugh. Not only do I resent said poorly thought-out canned reply, but that is the last time I ever make an exception and vote for a Republican. Re: Mr. Portman.
4
Glad to fearless gravitas is still to be found in this nation. I believe fro CIA Director Brennan. His track record on that front and his awareness of foreign threats to our democracy are polar opposite of Mr. Trump's willful ignorance (or criminal intent).
If any body was legitimately stripped of a security clearance it was Mr. Trump's son in law, whose only claim to that privilege was the flagrant nepotism of this sorry excuse for an administration.
8
Aretha Franklin passed away today. She will endure and enrich our children, our children's children, and generations to come.
Donald Trump and his enablers will be near the very bottom of the ash heap of history. That will be their legacy to their children, their children's children, and generations to come.
10
Some people are still claiming that there's no evidence of collusion with a foreign-enemy power. What more do they need? For putin and his comrades to come out and confess it? Trump's son-in-law kushner and erik prince were working hard to establish a secret line of communication between trump and his master. A lot of the people in trump's campaign communicated directly with the russians, including sessions. Trump was bankrupt when he began laundering money and assets for the russian oligarchs, all controlled by putin. This is a man that had no problem working with the mafia in NY. So, his greed and egomania led him to become a traitor to his country and to the American people. Evidence can be found if you are willing to look. In the meantime, Americans can continue wringing their hands waiting for a miracle to awaken them from this nightmare. Don't hold your breath...
10
Mr. Brennan, Thank you for your service to this nation and for your patriotic defense of our country from Russia and terrorists and from the rise of dictatorship. You were the main person with the CIA responsible for getting Osama bin Laden who had killed almost 3,000 American citizens.
Now we face a new danger -- not just an unfit president who abuses his power to punish political enemies and suppress criticism, but a complicit Republican Senate and House.
Systematically every top leader in the FBI and intelligence agencies has been smeared, attacked, and often removed from power or forced to resign.
Putin is holding the reins on Trump and his abetters. I suspect that the longed for backchannel communication that Kushner tried to set up, actually exists in one of the Trump resorts now. GOP senators spend the Fourth of July in Moscow, and Rand Paul gleefully both visits Russia and attacks the intelligence agencies and law enforcement.
Something is rotten in the state of Trumpland.
Patriotism died in the GOP. The rest of us have to vote, organize, protest, and call out the traitors and those acting against American core principles of democracy, free speech, and equality.
12
John Brennan is completely right. Revoking Brennan's security clearance, in a manner well outside the norms for such removal, is simply Trump going after his critics in his usual malicious and spiteful way.
If there is an "enemy of the people", it is not John Brennan, nor our free press, but Trump himself. He constantly lies, cheats and steals. He allies himself with our US opponents and enemies and trashes US friends. His words and tone incite hatred and violence, against the press, immigrants, non-whites, Muslims, and anyone he dislikes for any reason. He has surrounded himself with a network of family, friends, syncophants and billionaires, and operates within this bubble. He may or may not be stupid, but he is certainly illiterate, impatient, short-tempered, and thin-skinned.
All that said, John Brennan is no saint. In a larger context, beyond his security clearance removal, he was part of the CIA, one of many US agencies which, for over a century has interfered with governments around the world (e.g. Central America, Phillippines, Iran, Ukraine, replacing democratically elected representatives with corrupt, dictatorial US puppets.
Cyberwarfare is the latest means for interfering with foreign governments and foreign elections, a practice which goes a long way back and still continues (e.g. Paul Manafort's work on behalf of Ukranian candidate Viktor Yanukovich).
Like basketball and nuclear weapons use, offence has an advantage over defense, so let's be careful.
2
It does not take a Rhodes Scholar to figure out what is going on with this president. It takes basic human powers of observation, coupled with simple common sense. Those of us who can think for ourselves, and who are not biased by an affiliation with a political party, are keenly aware of what is going on right now. We don't need to see the evidence (or lack of evidence) from either side of the argument. Nor are we blinded or confused by sound bites, tweets, claims of fake news or otherwise. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, then it is a duck.
What is more on the minds of those of us who can see past the smoke and mirrors is; what, if anything, will be done to correct the wrongs now being committed against the American people?
11
No CIA director in history has become a paid talking head on a partisan news channel. And to use your former position and access to classified material to imply that you have seen evidence of a crime--without producing that evidence--is beyond scandalous.
Even more outrageous, to have a former CIA Director from the outgoing administration call the new president a traitor and suggest that the military should step in to remove him or refuse to follow his orders amounts to advocating a military coup. THAT, is why they revoked your security clearance.
2
@Liberty hound
Are you kidding? Fox News is an outright propaganda state TV station with its "journalists" advising the guy in the WH.
Your whole premise is ridiculous.
Brennan and a LOT of intelligence worked for MANY administrations. He is also a Republican.
Trump is the guy who is so babyish he tries to control everyone and everything himself- whining and throwing his little tweets around, crying and having his tantrums.
12
It was said before the election that what Putin wanted was tolerance of Russia's annexation of Crimea and invasion of Ukraine, coupled with a distancing of the U.S. from NATO.
Now, maybe this is a huge coincidence, but that's exactly what Putin is getting from "president" Trump.
Ya think?
8
@Jim Let me fix it for you..."Continued" tolerance of Russia's annexation of Crimea and invasion of Ukraine. Which happened during the last administration. Why is it a big deal now? Oh yeah, because we hate Trump! It literally happened under Obama's watch and he did nothing besides watch it happen.
Hogwash or not. There are 1/3 of US voters believe what Trump and continue to support him which tells the result of the world the dysfunctional society is no longer able manage her own affair as the empire devolve into a long decline.
2
I have never seen conduct like Mr. Brennan's before from members of a prior administration. With Brennan, it started before Pres. Trump was sworn in and continues to this day. All anyone has to know is that he was behind the Steele dossier. He wanted Hillary Clinton to win the election and when she did not he was and still is angry. My advice to Mr. Brennan is to bow out gracefully. You have done enough damage to your reputation, please just go away and take the Clintons with you.
2
There's absolutely no evidence of collusion in this article, as usual. Hillary colluded with Russians through Fusion GPS. Russian informants were paid to provide dirt on Trump. The payments were handled through a US law firm. This is known but is not being investigated. Why?
2
@It amazes me that some people still defend Trump. I do not recall any previous President revoking wholesale the security clearances of a dozen formerly high-ranking officials. I do not recall any president incessantly labeling the press "enemies of the people." I do not recall any other president calling upon Russia to assist in the internal affairs of the United States. I do not recall any previous president embarking on the whole dismantling of a previous administration's policies. I do not recall any previous president in my lifetime demanding to spend nearly 100-million on a military parade. I do not recall in my lifetime a president who willfully disregards the service of military members by removing protections against fraud and bankruptcy. I do not remember a president who has no grasp of science, of the environment, of health, or of the arts. I have never seen an administration so fully and completely populated by outright criminals attempting to steal everything right down to the very last carpet tack in their office. I can only believe that those who still hold to Trump and his murderous crew are deluded by greed and fear.
8
@mardy It is well-established that Fusion GPS was hired by Ted Cruz (? or was it Jeb Bush?) to do opposite research on Trump. Hillary came by the report only latterly.
3
Troubling accusations, but what is even more so is the mass of US citizens who shout for silencing experienced, qualified, knowledgeable & patriotic 'witnesses'....before the 'trials' have begun. Where are the patriotic open-minded folks who seek the truth through presentation of evidence? They are not amongst the majority of supporters of this admin....those who advocate shutting Mueller down before he fully develops his cases. G. Kotwal, here lumps illogical comparisons of people and issues to so distort the field in order to protect the alleged criminals and obscure their crimes. This is the most un-American attitude I can imagine. I still trust that the truth will out....as long as we allow Justice to be blindfolded.....NOT permanently blinded by corruption.
3
As frightening a time as this is for our country, I take comfort in and strength from knowing that there are men and women of courage willing to stand up to Donald Trump and his vicious duplicitous enablers. John Brennan deserves our respect for showing such courage, and our gratitude.
When we have American citizens wearing T-shirts saying "I'd rather be Russian than a Democrat" we know that the deliberate divisiveness nurtured by Putin as well as right-wing extremists, home-grown and foreign-born alike, is working: that there are millions here who are gullible enough to succumb to the propaganda coming from the right - from the alt-right but also the Fox News - Giuliani Right. Those camps are now indistinguishable and what unites them is a total abrogation of the truth in favor of politically-expedient, fantastical conspiracy theories and a bending of reality to get their way. They have lost their way and they are dragging us all down with them unless we stand up as Brennan has done and speak truth to their lies.
VOTE and get the word out to other voters, even in other states. Yesterday I signed up to do outreach for the Beto for Texas! campaign. I'll also be participating in voter registration drives in Pennsylvania. It's up to all of us to step out of our comfort zones and engage our fellow citizens productively. We can all stand up to Trump in tangible ways and shore up Brennan's patriotism. We have to, it's up to us to end this foray into fascism.
9
Trump is in the broadest sense an undesirable, a pariah. America's thriving, throbbing culture has produced a light (with flaws, certainly) that shines across the world politically, economically, and scientifically. It has has been a pulsing global leader because of this culture and because it has been almost completely constructed its immigrant foundation. Our openness is a major part of our nation's propulsion system and its successes. For Trump to occupy a pivotal position clearly outside of what it means to be American - to disavow all of this country's cherished values - is abominable. It is this one thing that should mark him as the pariah forevermore in all but the most dishonorable corners of the globe. Brennan's shout back across America following the strike against him by Trump should be thought of in two ways: a trumpeted battle cry, and as 21st century version of the ride by Paul Revere. Both should call Americans to elevate and further intensify the battle against the pariah, who has no place inside America's wide, accepting tent.
8
Thank you, Mr. Brennan, for using courage, exercising your free speech (while it still exists), and to the New York Times and all members of the free press who may be our last hope in these frightening, threatening times. We have a Fake President, a spineless Republican Party, and possibly a co-opted Supreme Court. What would the Founding Fathers think of this mess?
4
What I would like to know is when all of the dust settles and Trump has been impeached for the crime of conspiracy against the United States and engaging Russia to tilt the election his way, will his two Supreme Court picks be nullified?
7
Brennan is a political hack and now a cable pundit who supported Clinton. If he wants to play politics, that's OK. But his security clearance should be removed for acting politically. He shouldn't have access to secret information and then challenge a sitting president who may disagree with his beliefs. The elected president establishes policy. By allowing Brennan to keep his security clearance, it gives a non-elected ex-official too much power to challenge an administration and can confuse American foreign policy to our adversaries.
81
Are you saying that having a security clearance negates your right to free speech? Do you mean that no one who has a security clearance can challenge the president? Or that people in power shouldn’t challenge the president? If so, you misunderstand our democracy. Being critical of leaders is the duty of citizens of a democracy. Free speech is a fundamental right that Trump repeatedly tries to weaken, much to the detriment of this great nation.
2
@Alan Klein
I would assume then every sitting president would revoke security from the opposition party former intelligence officers we see in Fox and MSNBC and every Secretary of State, for FBI officials and other former federal employees? Should Trump revoke Hillary or Obama's clearance also?
And if a Democratic president is elected, that person should revoke Trumps, Ivanka and every former Trump cabinet member's clearance?
The argument is a non starter. By definition the opposing party will oppose many of their policies.
Clearly, Brannan's was revoked because is thin skinned. He is not the first president to be criticized by a former officials with security clearance.
2
@Alan Klein:
Thank you for the laugh.
Because "coherence, tolerance of others' beliefs, sanity, and not being a political hack" describe Trump : NOT.
This entire op-ed is hogwash. What evidence of collusion does Mr. Brennan cite? None. What facts are listed in support of his claim that the President, or anyone, colluded? None. Mr. Brennan concludes, with nothing more than his prejudice and anger, that the President colluded. Scary to think that he was in charge of the CIA. No wonder we were duped by Iran. Why the NYT would print this wholly unsupported, speculative piece of dribble is almost as troubling.
7
John Brennan for President 2020!
1
Consider for a moment the response to John Brennan's historical lying were he not now openly trashing Trump.
Does anyone really believe he would be heralded as a "hero" after having lied about drones killing noncombatants and having spied on Congressional staff and lied about that too? Unlikely.
4
Where's the collusion? All that's been found so far is between Hillary, Obama and Russia. No proof yet, no evidence of Trump's. 2 years and nothing.
3
The fact that Brennan perjured himself by testifying that the Steele dossier wasn't used to obtain warrants, when we now know that it was, may have something to do with his loss of clearance. Brennan should be happy he's not in prison
5
Trump supporters: THIS is what real patriotism looks like.
3
No, THIS is what trying to protect your MSNBC contract looks like.
1
President Trump justifies revoking Brennan's security clearance on the grounds that Brennan must be mentally unstable, judging by his aggressive criticism of Trump.
Trump claims it's not political. He'd do the same if Brennan was a Republican.
It should be noted that authoritarian communist regimes have a history of committing dissenters to mental ayslums. The theory is that if they don't believe in, or support the authoritarian regime, then they must be mentally ill, and so must be committed.
A convenient way to cleanse opposing points of view.
4
Dear Mr. Brennan:
In the past election, one opponent was hounded by the FBI leader (and piled on by the press) for her use of a private (and unhacked) email server with (as it turned out) one document marked "Confidential".
Meanwhile, you and your friends and co-workers were silently sitting on strong evidence of influence by a foreign power to aid and support the other candidate--and also strong evidence that there was direct interaction and sharing attempts between that adversary and the campaign. Despite the threat to the integrity of our elections, you said and did nothing.
Now, years later, the filth you did your best to help elect has turned on you. Yes, your guy is saying untrue things about you--but he got his political start saying untrue things about our previous president.
You have an obligation to help repair the damage--but that obligation must include self-reflection on how much you helped to create this catastrophe.
Protecting the secrets of the intelligence organizations, and helping Republicans, turned out to be more important to you than protecting the integrity of the United States of America, and giving the voters real information before the last election.
Your current help addressing the nation's problems is welcome, but would be more welcome and more effective if it included some acknowledgement of your failure to act earlier.
Is it possible that Russian "agents" have infiltrated far right groups to cause conflict and discord here?
3
here is no reason for Brennon to have security clearance. He joins the ranks of a stripper and Omarosa, described by the NYT, a schemer. Maybe others that will lose their clearance. Comey was composing memos to leak to the press while he was still in office. What circumstance would he be called for advice? All those who leave government service should lose it unless there is a specific expectation they might be consulted. Would those bemoaning Brennon’s loss feel the same outrage if Trump lost his clearance when he leaves? All this play to Trump haters. Collusion? If Mueller had any evidence of collusion, he had a responsibility to bring it forward. So far, he charged a bunch of Russians in Russia, Two U.S. for lying about something not against the law and two for business dealings in 2012 and zero to do with 2016. If there was collusion, what law was broken? There is no federal statute against it. As Alan Dershowitz says, Mueller is inventing a law. Collusion with Putin? That's hogwash. Trump didn't need Putin or anyone else. He had Hillary, the main reason he was elected. Doubt that? Read Donna Brazil’s book or Shattered.
4
Thank you for your service. We appreciate what you do. I'm not an expert in Security Clearance, but even without it, please don't let your voice be silenced. trump is a bum. He should have never became our president.
3
I cannot believe Brennan and some commenters re Trump asking the Russians to hack Hillary's email. A little history - the statement was made long after bleachbit had been used to wipe her email server's clean. It was also made after the media reported that Russians were responsible for just about any political hack that ever happened. Drawing on both of these issues, Trump said something like maybe the Russians can find those missing emails, i.e., if you did hack the server, maybe you can show us the emails that can be found.
Pretending that Trump directed Russia to hack anything is purposeful and blatant lying.
2
WITCHHUNT, INDEED!
And Mr. Mueller and his team are sure finding lots of WITCHES!
3
Does anybody remember when Andrea Mitchell asked John Brennan if the CIA had spied on the Senate Intelligence Committee's computers because the committee was investigating potentially illegal CIA "interrogation" techniques ie torture? John Brennan categorically denied such spying. Later, it came out that the CIA had in fact hacked the Intelligence Committee's computers and searched them for just such information. John Brennan LIED in order to cover up CIA torture. Anyone remember this? I remember when people cared about CIA black sites and violations of the Geneva Convention. But now as long as it facilitates an attack on Trump, people are fine with lauding John Brennan as some kind of hero?
4
In ignorance and arrogance, both of which Trump has in abundance, our president is trying to become a dictator--above the law, and above all other citizens. Whether he's fully aware of what he' doing won't really matter if we don't stand up for our freedoms and stop him.
3
@sing75 and what about (literally) trump spilling secret intelligence to two Russians in the Oval Office the next day after receiving it from an ally? And laughing about it? And calling the just immediately former-FBI director a 'nut job'?
Was he going to call the Russian media 'fake news' when they themselves reported it?
3
If Bernie Sanders had won the nomination, Brennan would claim “the Russians” intervened on his behalf. Putin and Hillary had a vendetta going. She tried to undermine him. He returned the favor. Trump was in the middle of it, same as Bernie. There was no collusion. Putin would have whacked Hillary no matter who she was up against.
1
John Brennan is suffering from delusions of grandeur. It is not all about him. A key question is why did he retain a clearance in the first place. If that was standard practice, then it is a bad practice. Frankly, he is embarrassing himself and giving zealots a bad name.
And I don't like Trump!
4
Contrast the well reasoned statements of a highly respected intelligence professional, John Brennan, with decades of experience, against the juvenile and false statements made by Donald Trump. Who has told more than 4,225 LIES since taking office.
Who’s the one who ought to have his security clearance revoked?
‘Nuff said.
4
John Brennan wants his security clearence to keep undermining the President and he thinks the President should allow it? He is off his nut!
2
Dump Trump
3
While watching Brennan on the Sunday news show, totally trashing this idiot president, I wondered how long it would take Trump to retaliate. Three days.
Trump is a proven liar, and obvious coward, and soon will be a convicted criminal.
3
How did he silence you if you are speaking out now?
How stupid do you believe the liberal readers are?
Hogwash.
2
@PiSonny
They are not only gullible but appreciative of being fed this tripe.
1
@PiSonny
He says Trump is *trying* to silence his critics, and making the point that he isn't silenced. A re-read of the piece may be in order for you.
Thank you Mt. Brennan for your service to this country and for continuing to speak truth to power. And may I add that everything which emanates from the malignant narcissistic thug in the White House is "hogwash". Always was and always will be. Furthermore, it is clear to all but the brainwashed members of Cult 45 that Trump's actions are those of someone who is guilty as sin.
4
@Maggie2
You have it backwards. President Trump is speaking to the power of John Brennan's and Obama's deep state, who cannot let go of their power.
1
Sounds like another whining empty barrel political hack. Expect nothing less from a communism supporter.
3
Nowhere is this empty article is there one scintilla of evidence that Trump colluded with the Russians-none nada nothing. Brennan is a disgrace to the integrity of the United States. Russian ambassador lied therefore it is conclusive that Trump colluded because the Russians lie.
The Saudis lie so do Israelis USA North Korea South Korea China(all the time) Myanmar France Canada even Britain.
Trump is more popular in approval ratings today then Obama was at this same time.
New York Times is housed in the same State as Andrew Cuomo, My God the stain is unbearable and the Times heralds him as a living God. I am now thinking New York is as liberally bankrupt as my state California and that's hard to beat
4
Brennan, however, as a professional liar, master of dirty tricks a former leader of the CIA does not explain why after decades or centuries of the USA, its allies and enemies doing all manner of manipulations, spreading false propaganda, funneling money to this or that group have been tolerated and just assumed to be normal international political intercourse … BUT now all of a sudden OH MY GOD claims that the fact that Russia might prefer a republican president over a democrat one, and dredge up some true opposition research dirt to help that along is a shocking unprecedented threat to American democracy and survival. This is especially inconsistent since during the Cold War the major media and the democrats dismissed the millions mysteriously making their way to anti war protesters and bombers of ROTC buildings by saying that a free press was adequate to balance against foreign domestic influence and hysterically warned against a police state investigating every person's contacts and assassinating people's reputations via guilt by association (like the Southern Poverty Law Project often does now in the NY Times). Another example of biased pro democratic party hypocrisy is the media's ignoring of where the money must becoming from to pay for buses, food and lodging for slave-wage illegal immigrants to travel and protest against the enforcement of our immigration laws while carrying racist placards saying and chanting at American citizens "don't have babies".
4
I support you Mr. Brennan. And I support you New York Times,
10
At least this editor will print divergent views. That's just a drip in the cistern, but welcome nonetheless.
No the liar-in-chief's claim of "no collusion" is not hogwash. Donald J Trump - a two bit wanabe dictator who gives all the real competent dictators a bad name - himself is hogwash.
2
Thank you, Director Brennan.
9
So Mr. Brennan you say you knew about Russian meddling but what did you do about it. You were either ineffectual or viewed it as an oppurtunity. With the other succesful operations you ordered that targeted Americans like the Disposition Matrix or NSA spying on Americans Id say you are fairly effective.
I'd simply point out that this is pretty simple, however much Trumpists try to tangle things up, aided and abetted by some who think they're leftists and progressives. And perhaps, encouraged by worse people.
1. Vlad Putin, a KGB officer who mainly worked in East Berlin, has been running the same sort of anti-democracy attack on us that he's been running throughout Europe. The purpose? To undermine democracy, weaken NATO and the EU, and help grab stuff for Russia. Most of which he'll steal, by the way.
2. We found out about this roughly a year before the 2016 election, and our intelligence agencies started looking into it. At about the same tome, both political parties started looking into Trump. If you want to blame Obama, here's your chance: he couldn't get the slightest cooperation from McConnell, and so basically didn't say as much as he likely should have.
3. Among the things that showed: at the VERY least, Trump and his kids have a long history and a current net of dubious financial connections with the bad guys, as well as an extensive series of very sketchy loans from D-bank, China, Indonesia (financed by China), and Kuwait that they do not want put in the open.
4. Trump benefitted from Russian meddling. Period, end of story, full stop. We don't know yet how deliberately he took this help, though what we do know is extremely suspect.
5. Trump, Trumpists, useful lefty idiots, and probably more Russian bots, have been trying to hide, tangle, confuse, ever since.
4
AUTHOR: Benjamin Franklin (1706–90)
QUOTATION: “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”
“A Republic, if you can keep it.”
That's a big IF these days. It's up to all of us. VOTE!
6
Enjoy your retirement.
2
I refuse to read the opinion because the author has clearly lost his objectivity. He has a bad case of TDS. Needs rehab. No one is silencing Brennan.
3
@Beekie
“I refuse to read...”
That says it all.
Interesting reading comments on articles like this, so many parroting identical Republican talking points.
I’m sure people out there are true believers in the silly conspiracy theories about Brennan, Obama, Hilary etc., but I doubt so many read and subscribe to the Times.
I’m surprised SV hasn’t come up with better methods of weeding out bots (human and otherwise), would be nice!
5
@M. The IRA in St. Petersburg is no doubt hiring up and working overtime for their favorites, the Republican Party.
2
@M -
A vast collection of Trump supporters are simply too embarrassed to admit they were duped. That's why they concoct (or subscribe to) some of the most wild and demonstrably false conspiracy theories in modern politics. It's easier for them to pretend to be crazy than it is for them to say, "You know...I might have been wrong to trust Trump." Even considering that notion seems to cause them enough discomfort to lash out angrily or violently at anyone who suggests it.
That's why they parrot all the talking points, that's why their prostration only becomes more pronounced following his every misstep and his blatantly obvious lies. Trump has made an active effort to weaken the minds of his supporters, and he's gotten them to a point where they are too weak to accept reality.
4
If only a relative handful of congressional Republicans had your spine and sense patriotic duty, we could rid ourselves of this cancer quicker than you could say Vladimirovich.
9
Will no one rid us of this troublesome child-president?
10
@Bill. The Romans had their Praetorian Guard to install new emperors as needed.
Trump is a dictator. And this country is one inch away from becoming his.
6
"When Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia’s internal security service, told me during an early August 2016 phone call that Russia wasn’t interfering in our presidential election, I knew he was lying."
Why would I believe such assertions from the liar Brennan?
Need examples: Torture, wiretaps. metadata mass collection, "17 agencies". I'm sure there are more I missed.
And why, rhetorically, is the NYT giving someone of his ilk an hustings?
2
Funny how unhinged Brennan said the exact opposite when he testified before Congress
2
All I can say is thank you for continuing to speak your truth.
8
This latest lashing out from the reptilian core of President Trump’s brain proves once again that he is unfit for office. Cunning, corruption, incompetence and vengeful cruelty characterize this president as they have no other.
Mr. Brennan and all others on President Trump’s hit list should hold a joint press conference. They need to present a united front in explaining to the public the implications of the president’s latest vengeful, immature and autocratic action.
How can so many fail to recognize President Trump’s petulant narcissism, corruption, incompetence and cruelty?
The midterm elections will be a true test of each voter’s character. Those who continue their downward drift into the abyss of the Trumpublican personality cult—voters and legislative enablers alike—will be accountable for the further decline of America’s credibility, international prestige and world leadership. History will inform future generations of their cowardice, blindness and/or ignominy.
7
Thank you for your service, and for your courage, Mr. Brennan. Now is indeed the time for every decent American repudiate the corruption, lies and manipulation of this fear-mongering, hate-filled "administration." trump and the swamp creatures he feeds can be defeated by the power of each individual of conscience acting in accordance with their principles.
6
Ridiculous logic. One can enjoy free speech without a security clearance. Brennan can keep screaming.
Question begged: why would an ex-govt employee still have access to classified info?
4
In order to ensure continuity, national security, and allow present administrations to benefit from the experience of the past, ex officers keep their clearances so they can brief current administrations. Of course this is beyond comprehension of people who mainly get their information from Fox ´news’.
2
@DeKay Because many experienced minds working together can solve more problems than few experienced minds. Get it? All that knowledge is useful and to limit it is to increase risks to the safety of our country. This is not a partisan issue.
2
Unbelievable how uninformed our “average” person in the street is. Having a security clearance, no matter how high, does not automatically grant access to anything. There is another very important “gate” one must pass. You have to have a “need to know”.
1
Mr. Brennan the free world needs you to keep talking, Trump has sold this country down the river.
10
In the 70's, those of us leaning left were high skeptical of the activities of the CIA. Domestic spying, manipulation of the press, politically driven disinformation, all revealed in Director Colby's "Family Jewels" and the Church Report. Human nature does not change. Now, or fifty years ago, power corrupts. Why today's left champions this man and what he stands for, is beyond me. The CIA may be a necessary evil but, it needs to be kept on a short leash. We need another Church Commission for this millennium.
4
@John Smith. This is akin to criticizing the fire department when your house is on fire. Let's douse the flames and rebuild our democracy first. Then we can talk about reforming our intelligence agencies.
2
John Brennan former CIA director expects the public to believe him, Really? The same John Brennan that the Washington Post said should be fired after his confession to lying to the Senate? "CIA Director John O. Brennan has apologized to leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee after an agency investigation determined that its employees improperly searched computers used by committee staff to review classified files on interrogations of prisoners."
6
Brennan is a proven liar and the media has amnesia. He is no paragon of virtue and has been a right wing mouthpiece for a long time. He approves torture, makes enemies for the USA around the world and is not needed in any way to help the USA. I am not Trump apologist, but clearly Brennan's security clearance is no longer necessary for the operations of the USA in any manner.
8
Mr. Brennan, good on you, and thank you.
7
Virtually no one denies Russia meddled in our election, and that includes Vladimir Putin. He answered affirmatively to a two part question in Helsinki, ‘Yes I did, yes I did’.
The Mueller investigation is looking at the details of Russia’s efforts as well as the possible role of Americans. Trump conflates the two efforts, seemingly disparaging both parts with increasing frequency and strongly implied panic. It’s not the behavior of an innocent man.
Meanwhile, House Republicans are in lockstep with the president, going so far as to conduct sham investigations, jeopardize confidential sources and methods, and write a one sided report full of factual errors and omissions. All this has happened with the acquiescence of Paul Ryan.
Now they are planning to impeach Rod Rosenstein once the election is over and Brett Kavanaugh is seated (it’s on tape out of the mouth of Devin Nunes). They are intent on kneecapping the investigation for the sole purpose of protecting Trump, and to the detriment of the larger Russia investigation.
It’s also no coincidence our Republican government is doing little to protect our elections from a new round of Russian meddling on their behalf. They’re in several Florida and perhaps Maryland county systems. They spearfished a vulnerable Democratic Senator up for re-election. And they may have manipulated California’s open primary for Dana Rohrbacher’s House seat.
Above all else we need to protect Mueller and vote all Republicans out in November!
11
@Michael TyndallIt
amazes me that thoughtful people still defend Trump. I do not recall any previous President revoking wholesale the security clearances of a dozen formerly high-ranking officials. I do not recall any president incessantly labeling the press "enemies of the people." I do not recall any other president calling upon Russia to assist in the internal affairs of the United States. I do not recall any previous president embarking on the whole dismantling of a previous administration's policies. I do not recall any previous president in my lifetime demanding to spend nearly 100-million on a military parade. I do not recall in my lifetime a president who willfully disregards the service of military members by removing protections against fraud and bankruptcy. I do not remember a president who has no grasp of science, of the environment, of health, or of the arts. I have never seen an administration so fully and completely populated by outright criminals attempting to steal everything right down to the very last carpet tack in their office. I can only believe that those who still hold to Trump and his murderous crew are deluded by greed and fear.
credit to :
"James" (his posting, which I find very astute) and saved.
2
Incredibly John Brennan accuses President Trump of “collusion,” whatever that means, then changes the accusation to conspiracy then ties POTUS to Manafort’s legal troubles that occurred long before Manafort worked for President Trump. This illogical wind-up leads to the self-serving conclusion that Brennan does not think his security clearance should have been taken away. If this editorial reveals your critical thinking skills, JB, the correct decision was made.
6
@Sue Mee You don't know what "collusion" means? Dictionary says: "secret agreement or cooperation esp. for an illegal or deceitful purpose." "Conspire" means, according to the same dictionary: "to join in a secret agreement to do an unlawful or wrongful act or an act which becomes unlawful as a result of the secret agreement." I suggest reading the relevant legal text. No "accusations" have been changed, but some have now begun using "conspiracy" instead of "collusion" because that is the word used in the law.
2
From Mr. Brennan: You did all of the U.S. a disservice. You did not inform Mr. Trump, the Republican candidate for President, that there were members of his campaign staff being targeted by Russian intelligence sources.
You did not prohibit the use of documents developed by the Hillary Clinton campaign from being used by the FBI, CIA, and NSA to obtain warrants to spy on the Trump campaign.
Further, you did not identify to all concerned - the FISA court, the Trump campaign, and the American public - that the Clinton campaign paid foreign operatives to coordinate with Russian intelligence assets to develop 'dirt' onTrump.
And, possibly most important, as you represent yourself as some savior of the U.S. public, you did not convince the President, or go forward yourself, to inform the U.S. public that the Presidential election had been compromised by the Russians.
You selected not to tell the American people what you thought you knew - that our national security had been compromised in a manner to get the worng person - a person controlled by the Russians - elected President.
But, wait, Mr. Brennan. This seems to be 'hogwash.' You did not share this national security information detrimental to the governance of our nation because you 'knew' the election was 'in the bag' for Hillary. And you and Mr. Comey were among those carrying the bag.
5
M. Brennan,
You wrote"The only questions that remain are whether the collusion that took place... " so what collusion took place and provide verifiable proof, please. Otherwise your column is 100%"hogwash"
4
Brennan spied on Congress (and got caught and admitted it!) so he would be cleared of what he did—torture innocent civilians. Not a hero. An Un-indicted war criminal. May he finally face justice.
4
If John Brennan, the former Director of the CIA, has proof that the President of the United States is being compromised or blackmailed by the Russian government, then he should present evidence for it today on national TV. Otherwise, he is just doing the Kremlin's bidding.
94
@J House Classified information has its own rules. For instance, it is a crime to publish classified info.
3
@J House What about the term "ongoing investigation" don't you understand? Meuller and team are famous for not leaking during the process. Many people have already plead guilty. And, as for it taking a long time: Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi.
4
J House,
John Brennan can't disclose classified details about what he learned when he was the C.I.A. director. Also, there's an investigation in progress, remember?
(I'm not sure why this is a NY Times Pick.)
4
Dear Mr. Brennan: As an American I have felt ashamed and horrified by the antics of Trump et al., but knowing that there are patriots like you working publicly for our country makes me beam with pride. Thank you so much for your on going dialogue pushing back against this awful administration. I cannot wait to see Trump be swept in to the “dustbin of history” as he will go down as our very worst president.
698
@P R
Use "septic tank of history" to be more discerning.
1
@P R Please, please tell us what and how DJT
colluded with Russia, China ,Lower Solvenia or
anybody. But instead we get teaser headlines like "Trump's claims of no collusion are hogwash". OK, that infers you have the goods on Trump et,al. Show us the money (evidence) or stop this charade of beguiling the Left with misleading op-eds and TV appearances. We believe what we see,you see what you believe.
1
@P R . don't be sure about Trumps reputation as POTUS. there could be even worse to come.
Thank you, Mr. Brennan. As an average citizen of the United States, this brazen abuse of power to punish a political dissident is repugnant and terrifying. Trump has intimidated most into staying silent through political retaliation. Your refusal to do so shows that your fealty to country is greater than to self.
600
@rememberlethe What brazen abuse of power did Trump perform? You do realize that he has the power to revoke anyone's security clearance according to the Constitution.
@rememberlethe:What? all you hear 7X24 on Cable is hosts and panelists calling Trump everything from Racist, Bigot, narcissist, dictator, traitor etc SO what are you talking about?. Never mind the late night shows like Colbert who just smashes our President with every innuendo and conspiracy available. Brennan read he approved prisoner torture like water boarding and also architect of the WMD Iraq lies. He attacks the President daily on these shows and he should be treated well by this administration?.
But what is the goal of the Russian interventions around the world?
The Russians want their colonies back.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, the 'stans, Azerbaijan, the rest of Georgia. They already have Belarus and part of Ukraine.
Then they want their buffer zone in Eastern Europe.
Very important here is that the Russians had been actively sending retiring Russian officers and their families to the 'Near Abroad' under the Soviet period of occupation of the colonies, and defending the Russian speaking colonists will provide the Russians with a convenient excuse for invasion.
We spend too much attention on the US domestic political scene, and hardly enough on WHY Brennan and the intel community have their backs up against the Russians.
Let's get more engaged in understanding the Soviet pact with Nazi Germany, the Katyn Woods massacre, the Ukrainian famine, the gulags and the genocidal spasms of the Russians and the Soviets.
Knowledge is power.
351
@UTBG
And once they have Eastern Europe as a buffer, then they need a buffer to the buffer - it's always been the same no matter who it is that wants a 'buffer'.
1
UTBG--...but not nearly enough attention to domestic policy. Are you assuming that tRump has a domestic OR foreign policy plan, other than ceding power to Vlad Putin, and widening the wealth gap, and shortening the life expectancy, in our country?
2
What's surprising and glossed over here is the question of why he still had that access after leaving his post ? How many others are off the official payrolls but still have clearance? This is what should be reported on. Where is the concern about someone recording White House meetings? Are those tapes being given to our Foreign enemies? Seems like they only become of interest if they are against the current president.
I wonder if Mr Brennan can shine some light on what the previous administration did about these known Russian intentions?
As long as the NY Times is around you won't be silenced, they will always give a voice to anyone with an anti Trump message.
I don't like Trump but these attacks are endless. God help us if all Mueller has is proof that short term campaign members were crooks 10 years before they joined the campaign.
6
Having a clearance does not give automatic access to anything. You must have the “need to know”
2
It is apparent that Mr. Brennan hasn't been "scared into silence".
6
Fascism. There, I said it. Mr. Trump's use of a government mechanism to try to silence critics is a hallmark of fascism. I am afraid for our country. Bigly.
4
@Marco Luxe
The larger threat is from former spies with proven track records of deception being allowed to openly oppose elected officials because of their own personal vendettas.
Brennan is running an operation not unlike the shady operations he ran while head of the CIA. His problem is that this clandestine behavior cannot survive the light of day. One hopes his CIA operations were better than the one he's running against the president.
1
The Republican Party must collapse just like Catholic church must also. Both are patriarchies shot through with cult like blindness to reality, whether its the GOP's worship of the perennially disastrous supply side economics or the depravity that inevitably results from the church's unchecked male dominance coupled with an unnatural insistence on celibacy, not to mention each organization's deep propensity for magical thinking, their veneration of received "wisdom" and their proud, rampant denialism. Both are infantile, puerile, regressive, repressive and ultimately destructive to anything they touch.
4
Thank you, Mr. Brennan, for this article and for your service to our great nation. This is a petty, ridiculous act to distract us from the most recent scandal.
This is Trump's MO.
3
If you were not allowed to use the word hogwash in your statements, you would be speechless: Russian denials are hogwash & Trump's assertions of no collusion are hogwash.
Russian actions took place on your watch and you did not stop it. Now you are screaming blue murder because your security clearance has been rightly revoked. Better late than never, huh?
To exercise your free speech, you do not need security clearance. So, enjoy your crow pie and I will see you on MSNBC and on CNN later tonight.
6
Can someone explain to all of us not in the know why Russia behaves the way it does? Why can't it be a cooperative player with NATO and the G7 and part of that community? Is it geography? Is it climate? Is it culture? Is it history? Is it genetic?
The Mueller investigation must be allowed to finish. If he finds no criminal aspects to the Trump Campaign's involvement with Russians, just naivety, stupidity and an amazing lack of understanding of the larger world, fine, we can move on. If evidence of criminal activity does come to light, then we'll see how well our systems of checks and balances play out.
Having said that, the Mueller investigation should wrap up as soon as its core remits are reasonably met. This is how we avoid the nation destroying spectacle of the never ending Benghazi "inquiries".
3
John Brennan, your evidential centerpiece is Trump obviously tweeking the media during a rally by asking the Russians, in a public speech, to find Hillary's lost emails. The ones that everyone knows that she erased unlawfully. That's your evidence? Brennan, you have lost it, and your credibility.
5
And still the Republicans in Congress allow their criminal bully to rip this country to shreds for whatever reason they see that fits their goals of greed or policy or even culpability. And if there is one Democrat who is able to vote that doesn't register to do so or is registered and fails to, they too are culpable for the loss of a country to a despicable, deep and toxic swamp of criminals.
4
Where's the evidence of this collusion, other than your fevered imagination?
Or is it of the same ilk as Schiff's ethereal "more than circumstantial" variety?
4
@Dave. SoCal---anywhere near Nunes? Sounds like it.
1
Great editorial. Thanks for publishing it. Unfortunately, Russian interference has not stopped. Aided by Trump, it is thriving. I was the recent recipient of two emails from Russian bots, attacking the Clintons and "Democrats." Trump is attempting to take our our intelligence community. The Republican's failure to control Trump (with limited exceptions) is a major risk to western democracy.
7
Well said, Mr. Brennan.
6
Why doesn't anyone ask him why he and Comey didn't stop the collusion? My God man you were the director of the CIA and Comey was the head of the FBI.
If you knew there was interference and collusion; why didn't you get on television and tell the American people what was happening?
4
Mike,
While candidate Trump was ranting that the election was "rigged?" (And interestingly, at the same time, the Kremlin was saying the same thing.)
Homeland Security released a warning to the American people about what was going on but it got buried by the intentional release of Clinton campaign emails by Wikileaks and the Access Hollywood tape.
7
@Mike
This is the story the media refuses to pursue. Too busy complaining about "freedom of speech" to do their real jobs.
Thank you, Mr. Brennan, for your service to this country and your courage to stand up to America's Russian made illegitimate president.
4
Trump must believe he is above the law, protected by his Russians and the deep pockets of the super-Pacs. Devin Nunes is Trump’s Michael Cohen on the Hill, his fixer. Nunes along with Mike Pence and the freedom caucus embolden and enable this lawless man, He is their gravy train. “We have to keep the Majority. If we do not Keep the majority, all of this goes away.” Devin Nunes
Mr Paul Ryan what kind of president “trolls”?
4
Brennan claims that Trump and Russia colluded... and then offer NOTHING in this article.
Brennan deserved his security clearance revoked. He has a history of spilling to the press, once even costing an operative in Yemen.
While jerking his security clearance may be unprecedented, Brennan's actions against the current administration is unprecedented as well. His security clearance is not a right, but a privilege.
5
Strange as it may seem to people like you, Mr Brennen was concerned at the direction the country was being dragged by that odious person in the White House. If, given all that is going on with attacks on the press by trump and his spineless accomplices in Congress, the rest of us really have our work cut out for us. If there is not a major repudiation of the abomination serving as POTUS come November, we as a nation, are in the throes of the inevitable “decline of nations”.
1
Hmmmm. Brennan knew but did nothing. The same is true for Hillary/DNC paying for intel from the Kremlin through Steele. And he equates revocation of clearance for an ex-employee with "silencing". And Trump's public calls for Russia to find Hillary's emails with "collusion". And he's sure collusion is there. This man needs a dictionary. Maybe a moral compass too. I'll wait for evidence, thank you. Brennan's rant sounds personal and hyperbolic.
5
Were I unfortunate enogh to find myself a Trumpist, I would at all costs avoid such phrases as, "personal and hyperbolic."
1
DJT can take away clearances all he wants. What he cannot change is what these intelligence professionals know.
Think about it.
We have a retired CIA director openly admitting he knows of collusion by the POTUS.
We are looking at you mitch mcconnell....
Vote 11/6
6
It would appear from some of the comments that Trump supporters prefer Mr. Trump having been the useful, unsuspecting idiot rather than the active participant of fraud again the people of The United States. Articles such as this make the charade difficult. The fallback position of “whataboutism” may have to suffice.
2
"Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"
Where is this person now? Not a single Senator to stand in for him? Not a single Representative?
Cowards all. So, we patriots need the John Brennans of the world.
8
It has already been proven beyond any shadow of a doubt that there was never any collusion. By continuing to spread baseless lies, Brennan and the Fake News NYT are putting a bullseye on the head of President Trump and every one of his many supporters. Hundreds of violent attacks against Trump supporters isn’t enough?
7
What proof of non collusion are you babbling about? Do you know what Mueller knows?
1
To all who fail to understand why former high ranking intelligence officials retain their security clearances it is this: in the event of a national security emergency and/or in the course of an national security investigation/operation these people have historical knowledge and understanding of the Nation's foes. Mr. Brennan, as has been reported, has never exercised his clearance; rather, his clearance and those of others (Rice, Comey, McCabe) allow them to offer their expertise to current intelligence officials without the worry of having to go through the security clearance process. We need people with knowledge and experience. Mr Brennan was in charge of capturing and killing Osama Bin Laden, on top of having decades of experience. I, for one want him to offer his knowledge to any administration, but especially this one, which seems to be a rudderless, no-nothing ship. Do former officials lose their First Amendment Right to Free Speech? Absolutely Not! Mr. Brennan is an American Hero and for all of you Trumpers out there, sit down and read the Constitution. You voted for a corrupt autocrat, interested only in his own pocketbook and kiss Putin's you know what. And, by the way: You have no idea what Mueller knows-he has more evidence than you can possibly imagine, so get ready to have your mythologicaly belief in this corrupt, sick man in the Oval destroyed. What then will you say?
10
@Rachel Bird
“Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”
― Edmund Burke
3
Trump is the highest risk to our Nation. It is for the GOP Congressmen/women and Senators to regain some backbone. I had been hardcore GOP member for years until this traitor became GOP candidate.
Stop his Presidency at the earliest. He is a danger of the highest order.
7
John Brennan needs to get a sense of humor. Look at that picture of him! His puss is as sour as can be. That's a problem.
Donald Trump brings rare humor and hyperbole to the White House. The rhetorical art of hyperbole has been around since the Romans. But Donald Trump is even more Ciceronian than Cicero. And his dry wit brings Mark Twain to mind (though Donald Trump lacks the deft touch of Twain).
Some foreign leaders seem to catch on to this. Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, Jean-Claude Juncker, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un. They see what Donald Trump is doing, and they respond effectively.
John Brennan (and others like him) don't. They bluster and bloviate, totally without humor. And when they don't realize that Donald Trump is joking, the joke is on them.
4
Speaking of desperate, your actions in the past 3-4 months give a clear indication that you don’t want anyone looking into what you knew and when you knew it when it comes to the Steele Dossier and the coordination between the “intelligence” agencies. Plain and simple, your candidate lost thus making you unemployable in the next administration. Revoking your security credentials was never intended to shut down your free speech but to limit your ability to profit from your previous position. Your actions have very clearly brought to the attention of the American people that very few if anyone needs to keep their sercurity clearance after leaving gov’t. Good riddance and y’all better get yourself a good lawyer b/c you sir were knee deep in the other side of collusion.
3
After Trump met with the 12 leading oligarchs at the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, he became consistently and transparently hooked on Russian capitol and fell in with that mob of ultra rich thieves, including their chief, Vladimir Putin, thought to be the richest man in the world. How could Trump NOT fall in with a team like that?
4
Hogwash indeed.
I wonder what CIA director Brennan discussed with the coup government of Ukraine a day before they decided to mount military operations against their own citizens in the east?
3
Even Trumpist Kellyanne Conway's husband, uber-Republican lawyer and political operative George Conway III, has renounced Trump. Carl Bernstein said on CNN the other day that Trump is worse than Nixon. Do you realize what we are living through? Resist.
8
BREAKING NEWS FROM JOHN BRENNAN: Russia and other countries meddle in elections. Sort of like the way the Obama Administration actively undermined Benjamin Netanyahu in his bid for re-election in Israel, and deposed leaders in Egypt and Libya (no need to meddle in elections when you can do that). Nothing new here, let's move on.
4
I do believe the Russians "troll" and chum the waters in search of greedy, gullible U.S. businessmen to manipulate and hook. And I also believe they have a harpoon deep in the hide of the great white whale -- America's sitting "president."
He fits that description to a tee. Whenever the Russia investigation -- or anyone even remotely connected to it is even mentioned -- it becomes crystal clear that he's neck-deep in it. Brennan knows it and the "president" knows he knows it. His enemies list may be a by-product of anger and poor impulse control, but his actions are that of a man living in constant fear of exposure... and it's coming like a freight train right for him.
6
Not a single person in the GOP is even trying to answer the question of why Putin/Russia would prefer to have a republican as President. It certainly is not altruism for the US.
3
How long does it take to find something you are so sure is there?
What is taking so long?
After an almost 18 month investigation, which has produced no solid evidence (and let's face it, if there was anything resembling real evidence, it would have been leaked to the NYT or WaPo), I need to see something solid. Not just conjecture or that Don Jr. had a meeting in Trump Tower, I want facts not speculation.
I am losing faith in this investigation and the special prosecutor, enough is enough. Either bring indictments or fold the investigation.
6
Thank you for standing up to confirm what we already thought was true.
5
If people were trying to conspire to get rid of Trump, they would do it behind closed doors, not at the open. The fact that the ex directors have been speaking out at the open is not a conspiracy on taking down a government like Trump likes to say. He sells that idea to his supporters and they of course will believe him. That is why many people still don't believe what these people, like Mr. Brennan, are saying out loud. They want proofs, like a commentator said, about Russia meddling, but when Trump says ridiculous things without proofs, they believe him instead. Trump hasn't even showed his tax return to the country, imagine what else he's been hiding.
3
If one has to fight a subpoena all the way to the Supreme Court, one is guilty. If innocent, why not call Director Mueller and have that talk, on TV, so we can all see the innocence.
9
Thank you Mr. Brennan. The majority of us are grateful and stand with you.
7
There is a lot of distraction in and around us from Cohen, to Stormy, to Omarosa-- all great fodder. Meanwhile Mueller is quietly, diligently and professionally gathering the facts and connecting the dots. It appears that something is up in River City and I hope we will all soon know what that is.
Whether it amounts to anything, matters not.
At this point Trump has done great damage to our country. We desperately need a president that is a intelligent leader and a true upstanding ambassador who can unite us not divide us. This president and the people he has hung with are bringing shame and dishonor to our country. This is not about party affiliation; democrat or republican, we need a president that we can all be proud of and who can restore our sense of being noble Americans one and all. Times are sad in America, because of the behavior and illness of our president. It is truly depressing.
6
My guess is that Brennan deliberately provoked Trump into terminating his security clearance. It doesn't harm Brennan in any way and it clears the way for Trump to terminate Mueller's clearance. As a matter of fact, it could be argued that Trump now HAS to terminate Mueller's clearance. After all, Trump told the WSJ that he terminated Brennan's clearance because Brennan was involved in the Russia probe. How can he not now also terminate Mueller's clearance??? If Trump terminates Mueller's clearance, it will result in the constitutional crisis that will end the Trump presidency. Brennan is a VERY experienced intelligence officer and knows how to get gullible people to do what he wants them to do. The same is true of Comey. Remember that he deliberately leaked his memos so that Rosenstein would be forced to appoint a special counsel. These two know what they are doing and I am very hopeful that they will succeed.
2
It's time that we recognize that we have an alarmingly imperial presidency that the founding fathers tried to prevent. There's obviously not enough of a balance of powers when one individual (in this case, an indecent, immoral one) can unilaterally take actions that go against the best interests of our governing system unchallenged and unchecked.
6
I don’t think the Founding Fathers ever envisioned a total sellout of Country for party that the modern GOP continues with. ZERO “checks and balance”. Despicable.
2
You do not mention American made phenomena like Steve Bannon, Breitbart news, Cambridge Analytica, right wing billionaire Mercer, Alex Jones and his Infowar or the right wing movement of Mr. Spencer and Co. They all just seem to culminate in Donald Trump himself, his lies and his chaotic strategy. You are further absolutely oblivious of massive American meddling all over the world with catastrophic results. Have you forgotten what Edward Snowden tried to tell the US and the world? And as to divisions in the American society, it was Hillary Clinton who in very unfortunate words talked about the deplorables of American society. My impression is that you use Russia as a scapegoat to cover up the worldwide meddling of the US in other countries, the cyberwar that the US is conducting on its own and the home made radicalisation and division of the American society. I hope that the Democrats eventually come up with candidates that are ready to tackle the real issues of American politics.
2
Brennan has made his feelings about Trump well known through his Tweets and other screeds, which is fine. I get that he hates Trump. A lot of us do. But unfortunately, any vestige of his erstwhile impartiality has thus been thrown out the window, which his his credibility hard. Prejudging an investigation also doesn't help. He'd be a much more useful agent if he settled down and stayed off Twitter.
2
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
So you say he is guilty, offer no evidence and say its either criminally liable collusion (not sure what law he would break for that charge) or obstruction of justice (I assume by firing Comey, which didnt stop any investigation).
2
Thank you Mr. Brennan; you are my hero.
4
I still will trust his opinion without clearance than the opinion of Trump and his minions with clearance.
7
" 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."
WOW The head of America's top secret intelligence agency admits he got his information on "collusion with the Russians" from the press and an off-hand joking remark from the President.
Do we really need the CIA?
2
Reading through the comments and wondering how some commenters draw their conclusions.
When Trump was campaigning and said: "Russia if you're listening, I hope you find those ...emails..."
I was dumbfounded. I could not believe that a candidate for POTUS would say anything remotely like this.
Again, in Helsinki, I watched as Trump looked admiringly at Putin and declared that he believed him when he said Russia had not interfered with our election.
Dumbfounded again! Who knows what transpires in the phone calls, the tete a tete's, the closed door meetings and other communications.
Oh, yes. Maybe Brennan knows. Maybe that's why Trump is trying to silence him. Maybe that's why Trump doesn't want him to share experience and knowledge about how Russia works.
If Trump is as innocent as he wants us to believe, he should open his records, his tax returns, his various communiques, his various business dealings around the world and sit down with Mr. Mueller, under oath, and let us know of his innocence. Nothing else should satisfy.
Meanwhile, Ryan and McConnell should aid in convincing him to do the right thing.
7
Ryan and McConnell wouldn't know the right thing if it came up and bit them on the nose, as they have demonstrated time and again. no joy there.
meanwhile, remember when Manafort, who had tried to cheat Derapaska out of some millions the oligarch was suing (at the least) to recover, was emailing his desparation to "get whole"? could it be that Trump is motivated to "get whole" on his hopeless indebtedness to Russian oligarchs from his serial business failures in Atlantic City and elsewhere?
Russia, if you're listening, release Trump's tax returns.
2
Don't be silly. You know he is not innocent. I'm still waiting for people to take this all as seriously as they should, but I don't see it happening. So, let the Manchurian candidate remain in office while you all refuse to believe what is in plain view, and the cowardice of Americans ensure that America gets what it deserves.
@Accuser - I was being sarcastic. I agree that he is guilty of conspiracy as the rest of the sins he's committed.
An innocent president would welcome every effort to uncover the truth and would testify as and when needed.
Everything else is indistinguishable from or supportive of guilt.
10
Girish is right on. Brennan hides behind his CIA credentials but he is still a political operative working for who? The good news is the American public can see the CIA and FBI for what they really are. Not above the law, and no longer held in such high esteem.
Firing several FBI operatives is the first step. Congrats to director Wray!
3
Thank you Mr. Brennan, for telling the unvarnished truth. We need more people like you.
5
Can we please stop using the word "collusion," and start using the word "conspiracy?"
Donald Trump and his campaign engaged in a conspiracy with a hostile foreign adversary to defraud the United States.
Also, Russia didn't "meddle", they attacked us (and are still doing so.) They are engaging in cyber warfare to destroy our democracy by hacking, perpetuating misinformation, and dividing Americans (with help from Trump, Fox News, and other right-wing media.)
1032
@The act is collusion, the legal charge with be Conspiracy [to Defraud the United States.
@L No. It was the HRC campaign - via the Steele dossier - that was colluding with the Russians, to try to disrupt the Trump presidency. And to date, the efforts of HRC et al, have been pretty effective: they have convinced a large percentage of the US electorate that Trump's presidency is illegitimate - with nary a shred of evidence.
2
@L We could - if only there were some *EVIDENCE*.
1
Exactly what a career of honest public service produces, somebody that a citizen can and should have faith in.
Thank you for all of your service, Mr Brennan, including your right and duty as a citizen to speak.
9
Thank you, Mr. Brennan. You are a role model for everyone. We must resist with all means possible the dictatorship that Trump and Putin wish to impose on us.
445
@sandhillgarden I too thank Mr. Brennan. Please spread his words through YouTube, FaceBook, and Twitter to reach out to more Americans.
1
This is encouraging. Thank you, John Brennan. I look forward to seeing justice finally triumph. We will need fresh air after Trump is no longer a public threat and nuisance. ♦️
357
This is an extraordinary statement by Mr. Brennan. For those of us still capable of objective analysis, Donald Trump's endless public attacks on the Mueller investigation constitute a string of attempts to obstruct justice, even if they don't meet the standard for criminality. This president attacks the truth with lies in just about every category. He calls CNN fake news, when he's actually the purveyor of fake news. His administration uses childish lies to reverse Trump statements. "Would" becomes "wouldn't" and a wincing Chief of Staff becomes "he was upset about the breakfast". There are hundreds of examples where this president and his administration have been caught in lies. So why would we believe Mueller's investigation is a witch hunt?
581
@Aurora Trump is not so much the purveyor of fake news as the purveyor of falsities that are transmitted by a compliant press even when they are identified as false statements, in common parlance lies. He gets all the attention a narcissist could want, his followers and willing believers accept his lies as facts and any opinions based on his lies necessarily become emotional and not substantial. That he lies is irrefutable. Why report them at all, except to say, for example: the president gave a speech today ostensibly about immigration. Do not present his misinformation: instead, present the relevant truth.
1
It is a virtual certainty that even if the Democrats take the House of Representatives, that Trump will consolidate his hold over the Republican part, between the retirements, the primary victories and the general fear that they inspire the Republican party will shortly be, essentially the party of Trump without even covert opposition. That raises the stakes for Democrats and Friends in terms of preserving the Constitution and the Republic.
Even if the House is taken and the checks and balances brought back, we are becoming a divided nation, something which is very dangerous as the French in the 1930s found out.
4
Without commenting upon the substance of Mr. Brennan's opinion, what is Brennan's job right now? Is he in a position that should have a certain security clearance? If not, revoking it doesn't seem inappropriate.
2
@tj
I see this statement a lot. It is an over-simplification of the work former intelligence officials do in subsequent administrations.
It's not as if, when a new administration comes in, that everyone who is part of that administration already knows what do do. They need help and input from people who had the job previously. That's where the clearance helps people like Brennan help the new admin. Apparently Trump doesn't think he needs the help. He's wrong.
3
Bill: “I don’t get” why this is a big deal. Here’s why: John Brennan and others with high-level security clearances are experts in their fields. Current and future presidents and top officials continue to rely on their expertise to keep America safe even after they retire. In addition, this move by Trump sends a message to all who may criticize him publicly or privately that he will revoke their security clearances if they dare to do so; thereby, silencing would-be whistle blowers and others who we need to speak out about abuse of power within the government.
16
Mr. Brennan has accused the Russian's of being devious, unreliable, anxious to spread they influence, meddling in the affairs of other nations, etc.
And he may be right. But these broad generalizations do not constitute evidence of hacking the DNC or any state election computer.
The evidence from the FBI report that has been made public has been analyzed by a group of retired foreign intelligence personnel, led by Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst.
They concluded that the DEC emails were not hacked because the recorded transfer speeds were significantly faster than the internet is capable of.
William Binney, a former NSA analyst also reviewed the data and concluded that the transfer speed is consistent with a download to a portable drive, but much was too fast for an internet transfer.
Neither of those experts speculate on who did the transfer or why. What the do agree on are the facts. And those facts do not support Mr. Brennan's accusations.
If Mr. Brennan or Comey have other evidence that might explain this anomaly, they should present it to the public.
Our last CIA director told us that the presence of WMD's was a"slam dunk." That assessment turned out to be somewhere between gross negligence and an outright lie and helped propel the nation to war.
We cannot afford heightened tensions with a nuclear power where the American people are given the conclusions of those in power, but not the evidence.
The American people want the truth, not just conclusions.
8
@drspock
If they are analysis the information made public, then it's been redacted, which means that he would have to fill in the blanks. And since when is the opinion of an ex-intelligence officer considered important.
Because in the end, it's not their opinion that matters, it's what evidence is found, and who it links too.
I recently heard Ray McGovern on KPFA. He sounded a little nutty.
1
Sour grapes for sure, but fairly reasonable ones. While I think collusion is a serious charge, I find it even more plausible that Trump's explicit debts to Russian oligarchs make him compromised by a hostile foreign power. This is unacceptable for an elected US official with the highest security clearance in the land.
Regardless, rather than read and write about this, we should be voicing our opinions in the ballot box in November and getting the Congressional check on the Executive Branch functioning again.
18
so, here's the skinny:
Congressional Republicans will not bring a bill of impeachment against the President no matter what he does, as long as he opposes abortion, opposes environmental regulations, opposes regulations on the financial sector, gains tax cuts for the superrich, and rails against Moslems and immigrants. all the rest is commentary.
gettig reelected on abortion, taxes, and the smokescreen of illegal immigration covering over a multitude of sins are more important to Republican representatives than our country itself.
and none dare call it treason.
2
How does revoking the clearance silence him? He can't talk about the secret stuff either way. And he can talk about all the non secret stuff either way. I don't get it. Unless those with the clearances need them in their post administration careers to get lucrative contracts because of their exclusive access. If that's the case I'm in favor of revoking their privilege.
10
Thank you John Brennan for your years of service and for your defense of our nation from all enemies "foreign and domestic".
And thank you for continuing to defend our nation.
You have shown tremendous courage and patriotism standing up to Trump. I only wish Trump could summon some of that intestinal fortitude to stand up to Putin.
15
Blaming the Russians or third-party candidates for the election loss of certain candidates obscures a bigger problem: no-show voters because “their vote doesn’t count” or dissatisfaction with the major candidates. It happened in 2000 with too many people choosing not to vote for Gore and in 2016 with too many people choosing not to vote for Clinton.
If we count the choices of all the eligible voters in 2016, Clinton came in second to “none of the above” and Trump came in third.
7
If congress fails to take appropriate action here, there will be repercussions. Not just talking about the ballot here. What about the precedent? Any future presidential candidate can commit the same type of collusion with any foreign adversaries and say...well Trump did it. This all calls into question our sovereignty as a nation and it simply can not be allowed to continue.
20
Had Trump deified the Russians back during the McCarthy hearings like he is doing now, his former attorney and mentor, Roy Cohen would have prosecuted him as a Communist sympathizer, convicted him and sent him to jail.
Now Trump is attempting to destroy our present and past leaders who have supported and protected the US and are continuing on a daily basis to attempt to protect us from Russian incursions to debilitate what is left of our democracy.
Thanks to John Brennen and all of his brethren who prioritize our country and who have and continue to work to preserve it.
Res ipsa loquitur...
20
I think every government worker that has retired from their service should have their clearance revoked. Both parties. As administrations change and people move on to the private sector, they no longer should have that access. If Brennan was so convinced that Russia was meddling in the election, why didn't he do something about it at the time when he could have been in a position to stop it or make the American people aware of what was going on?
18
1. He did what he could: he reported, and forcefully, then followed up. This may come as news, but these guys work for a President.
2. The purpose of those clearance, beyind simple courtesy, is to allow the new staff to ask the old staff questions.
5
@Melissa M.
What an incredibly short-sighted and ill-formed comment.
Do you really believe that an administration can and should start from scratch every single time there is an election? You think we have no need to rely on the expertise of the outgoing administration? That would be a very dangerous way to run a nation.
1
Allow the Special Counsel to complete his inquiry, and then let the truth speak to us all. Having lived through Watergate first hand (I was in medical school in Washington, DC from 1971-75), I am aware of just how difficult it is to wait for the truth to show its face. Much as it took dedicated patriots to bring the truth to us all then, I am convinced that Mr. Mueller and his staff will do so in good time. I encourage the media to maintain its integrity, continue to report facts and avoid innuendo and rumor. It is time for good and decent citizens to hold steady and not waver. Our time will come.
23
I feel like a broken record. And I can't even take credit for my repeated rant. FOLLOW THE MONEY!
There is a reason presidential candidates traditionally release their tax returns when they run for office. But Trump did not follow that practice. Why?
America would know so much more about the possibility of collusion between the campaign and Russia if we simply knew where Trump borrows money.
The guy abducted the Republican party, won a national election under a cloud of questions, has begun a tariff war with former allies, and spews derision at anyone who dare question his actions.
Shouldn't America know more about his finances?
30
@michael
How about if we follow the EVIDENCE rather than mounting fishing expeditions to places where none leads? Evidence is slowly and deliberately painting a picture of Clinton/DNC/Russian collusion, and getting more persuasive every day. I think liberals are fully aware of the tenuous relationship this probe has with the truth, and it is the basis for the increasingly shrill resistance to this President. Desperation is increasingly obvious. So, I say, let the TRUTH lead our country back together.
6
@Intellect
I would appreciate knowing what source(s) have shown evidence of collusion between Clinton, the DNC and Russia?
@Intellect lol@ a Trump supporter saying truth should lead us. Wow. And suddenly you CARE about collusion with Russia...when you read some bogus article about how the evidence points to Clinton????? Good grief. No wonder we're in the quandary we're in.
Thank you Mr. Brennan for speaking out concerning trump. I truly believe that much of the Republican party I in collusion with Russia. We now can now surmise that NRA contributions to Republican candidates were conduits from Russia. We can see the campaign to abolish ICE is a way to get radical left appear too radical for the general population. It's Russian organizations that funded breaking California into smaller states. How many trolls speak for Russia when they attack the person, but never policy?
We have Manchurian candidates galore all beholden to Russian oligarch-kleptocracy. Who are they? Look no further than trump and the Republican party.
25
the Russians are real pros, but they can pursue these tactics because they have plenty of money. the combination leads to a lot of successes for them.
as things stand, any adversary with enough money and determination can be active in influencing our elections and our government. simply, it is for sale, and that's why characters like Manafort buzz around it like flies around the barnyard.
one real prophylactic would be getting money put of our politics, but as we have seen, even our Supreme Court can be bought and comes up with twisted justifications for allowing things to get worse. Congress has no motivation to pass proactive laws.
are we sunk?
2
@Charlie Fieselman
Show me the evidence of your claims. I see the emotional reaction to losing ground in the war of ideas. But after 2 years of intensive investigation, it is the progressives who are getting crushed under the weight of actual facts.
By the way. I wonder why we can’t stay focused on the quality of the evidence as opposed to devolving into the language of paranoia to move this cultural wrestling match forward?
1
Abraham Lincoln said A House Divided Cannot Stand. Trump would give us a Government of Lies ruling and divided from the truth. We must in the end fall if we think one lie will not lead to another.
16
@Just Me
Since when did Democrats embrace truth? In fact, I see both Trump and the loyal opposition preferring to forward their agenda with whatever verbal bombs, regardless of veracity, seem to be most effective in the advance of their agenda. Objectivity and fact based discourse will some day become stylish. I fear this will not happenin the short term, but let it begin with us.
2
Yesterday Ms. Huckabee-Sanders announced that Mr. Trump could revoke security clearances of 9 other individuals. So, the obvious question is: why isn't he? Are they national security risks or not?
Clearly Mr. Trump is keeping that option in his back-pocket to use when another major diversion becomes necessary. And, if the last 18 months is any indication, that will be soon upon us.
21
Not only is this another example of Trump's mindset and willingness to obstruct justice, but John Brennan is still free to give his opinions publicly. Trump's base, with their shockingly simplistic, surface-view of everything, think that security clearance for a political opponent is a risk, but Brennan has decades of not revealing security secrets as a professional employee. What is most obvious is that Trump himself is the greatest security risk this country has ever seen. Trump's actions, with nearly full Republican cooperation, are weakening the influence of the US around the globe and making outright enemies for no good reason. Astonishingly, he also telegraphs most of his ideas and plans of action on Twitter, likely before anyone else in the government has had a chance to even hear about it. Trump, the Republicans, and their supporters have no clue about what it really means to be a patriot.
58
there is no good reason for Trump to alienate our friends and allies or to cozy up to foreign dictators and adversaries - if you are looking for a reason that is to the advantage of the United States.
but if you step back and and see who benefits outside the USA, Trump's antics and hidden finances suggest a beneficiary hiding in the largest country in the world.
"... he also telegraphs most of his ideas and plans of action on Twitter ..."
As "A Science Guy", you should know that you have the burden of proof. In particular, you need to show which of Trump's "ideas and plans of action" were NOT "telegraphed" on Twitter. That would appear to require you to be a mind-reader, so good luck with your science project.
John Brennan wrote:
"...In my many conversations with James Comey, the F.B.I. director, in the summer of 2016, we talked about the potential for American citizens, involved in partisan politics or not, to be pawns in Russian hands."
Including Carter Page and the dubious, still unverified Steele Dossier...which will soon be further picked over by the release of Steele's still-secret videotaped interrogation in the UK by attorneys for another victim that he slimed.
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2018-07-25%20CEG%20to%20G...
Brennen's fingerprints are all over the weaponization of the Steele Dossier, even after the election.
August 03, 2018
12 times Christopher Steele fed Trump-Russia allegations to FBI after the election
"...In a larger sense, the Ohr-Steele 302s could shed some light on how an effort — it certainly included Steele, but also others — to keep Trump from being elected morphed into an effort to keep Trump from being inaugurated and then morphed into an effort to remove Trump from office. A version of that effort is still going on, of course, even as some in Congress try to find out how it started."
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/12-times-christopher-steele-fed-...
10
@MM
"The Washington Examiner" says it all.
2
Many people could have leaked or outright released very damaging info about Trump if they wanted to swing the election to Hilary. They didn’t. Perhaps in retrospect they should have, but they didn’t. Chalking all of this up to an attempt by Clinton’s team to defeat Trump is therefore ridiculous.
1
@MM
One has to 'consider the source": The Washington Examiner.
And the writer: Bryon York who wrote a book called "A Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy" - might not be the most accurate take on this.
3
Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their country...!
12
Mr. Brennan proves yet again why he can't be trusted with a security clearance. He had responsibility, along with Jim Comey of the FBI, to ensure our election from free of foreign interference. Judging from the Facebook phantom postings, he failed miserably. Officials given his level of responsibility should be circumspect with sharing their political views yet he lacks the professional discipline to do so. Many people have suggested the 'conspiracy' started with the Clinton campaign commissioned the now famous "Steele dossier" and used its agents in the FBI to overlook Clinton's misdeeds and fabricate charges against Trump. Mr. Brennan needs to acknowledge his failings and just fade away into obscurity.
12
Mr. Brennan and others did bring forward their concerns. Mitch McConnell refused to agree to a joint bipartisan statement and action. The President discussed with him and Republican leadership.
29
@p kozlo The Steele Dossier was actually started by the GOP who wanted to stop Trump from becoming their nominee but let go of it. Clinton picked it up afterwards and the rest is history.
The Dossier has been found to be mostly true. Trump himself keeps proving it daily.
Trumps sons have admitted that most of the financing the Trump organization gets is through Russia, but you won't even take his own kids word on it.
Trump is compromised, Plain and simple.
He is in a position to be blackmailed by Russia and you are okay with this?
14
I don’t take Brennan’s criticisms of Trump to be expressions of his “political” views at all. They’re clearly expressions of his deeply held (and carefully considered) opinion that the man at the helm is unfit to hold office and is behaving in ways that pose real dangers to the republic and our allies.
Let me put it this way: do you really think Brennan would object to almost any other Republican President? Does he have a history of political partisanship? No, he doesn’t. Wake up people! Tax cuts and court appointments should not take precedence over EVERYTHING!
4
Donald Trump conspired with the Russian government in plain sight when he asked them for Hillary's "30,000 emails."
He obstructed justice in plain sight when he told Lester Holt that he fired James Comey because of "that Russia thing, with Trump and Russia."
And he admitted to revoking John Brennan's security clearance yesterday in a Wall Street Journal interview, because Brennan was one of the intelligence people who worked on the Russia investigation and spoke out against him.
Trump has continually broken the law in plain sight, and will continue to until the Republican party grows a spine and begins to honor their oath to protect the Constitution.
66
@L There is little evidence that the leaders of the Republican party care about the Constitution unless it suits their purposes. McConnell subverted the Constitution when he refused a vote on Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court. He has done nothing to uphold the Constitution since.
25
@rdb1957
McConnell's actions on the Garland nomination were perfectly legal and constitutional.
rdb1957,
I agree, but the people of this country should have some recourse (besides voting) that holds elected officials accountable when they violate their oath to protect the Constitution.
The Framers could not have imagined the current Republican party and their trattorous ways.
2
thank you. don't stop fighting back.
or we will slowly corrode to mafia state like Russia.
11
Mr. Brennan has shown himself to be a true American patriot over the past two years. I don't know what will become of Trump - prison, assassination, or exile to Russia - but I do feel his days are numbered and won't end well. Mr. Brennan, on the other hand, will go down in our history books as a true American hero.
26
Folks like John Brennan, who refuse to normalize the creeping authoritarianism and blatant lying of Donald Trump, will save this country from those who are too weak-minded to see past the fact that Trump will say whatever it takes to keep the loyalists by his side.
People who just want to be told they are special, that they are the "True Americans" and will believe anything so long as they hear that precious message are the downfall of freedom in America. They are on the cusp of letting the wolves of capitalism and corruption, at present led by Trump, have free reign over the entire henhouse.
18
What a letdown. I was expecting Brennan to offer some new evidence to link Trump with the Russians but instead, we get a repeat of every tweet Brennan has sent in the last 2 years.
1 - There is little dispute that the Russians once again played games in our electoral process. It’s been happening for decades and it predictably happened on Brennan’s watch, as well. The extent and the consequences are unclear and Mr Brennan sheds no new light on the matter.
2 - Aside from his frustration, Mr Brennan didn’t articulate what he or anyone else actually did about the meddling. He says that he gave all of his information to Comey - “Over to you, Jim!”
3 - The notion that Trump’s joke about the 30k missing emails in any prompted action on the Russians’ part is absurd. Does he think Putin needs Trump’s encouragement to so anything? “Ok comrades, Trump gave us the green light!”
4 - To be sure, Manafort, et al. are shady characters and didn’t pay their taxes years ago, whether their income was legitimate or otherwise. Mr Brennan does not tell us how or even if this in any way touches Trump.
5 - Brennan then claimed that Trump is guilty of manifold crimes, including money laundering but then leaves us hanging as to any evidence.
6 - Finally Brennan says that revoking his sec clearance somehow silences him from writing op-ed pieces and tweeting. Hmmm. Then he punts to Mueller to explain it all to us. “Over to you, Bob!”
I’m all ears, Mr Brennan, but so far it’s hogwash.
13
@Skeptik I know it probably didn't occur to you but Brennan is still honoring his duty not to disclose classified information which is why you are not seeing him give evidence. He does point the way to what the special council might find but it is for Mueller to disclose, not Brennan.
Also, no where in this piece does Brennan say anything about Trump doing money laundering. He does talk about Manafort and Gates who are in the public light.
Brennan also does not say that the loss of his security clearance silences him. He does note that pulling it might be to silence others.
5
Likely, there are many fingers in the Trump pie. Republicans have been quite outspoken in their desire to destroy much of the Government, or perhaps better said, the Republican party has allowed itself to be come infiltrated and overrun by not patriots, but quasi-terrorists intent on making America a theocracy guided by false Christian tenants. Regardless, Republicans and Democrats alike need to realize the danger here, put their differences aside, and clean house.
That starts with Trump.
11
Question for Trump supporters: How is it that you can, on the one hand, scream for Hillary Clinton to be thrown in prison for having a legal, non-hacked personal email server, the reason you give being, "Because it COULD have been hacked by a hostile foreign country!"...but you then, on the other hand, defend Trump not only to seemingly know that Russia was hacking into US email servers, but his actually saying that he hopes a hostile foreign country's illegally hacking into US email servers produces information that will help him win the election? Those two things are diametrically opposed to each other. Care to explain it?
30
@VirginiaThey can't explain and they don't care. They will continue to support because:
A. They believe that finally a leader is telling like it is.
B. He puts minorities, non-Christians, non-heteros where they belong.
C. He'll continue to nominate judges that they believe will roll back x, y, and z.
D. He pushed for a tax cut that they believe will MAGA.
E. All of the above.
2
Hey Virginia
Answer to your question to Trump supporter!
You must have missed Pfred's post earlier. It provides all the information you need to be satisfied.
Trump 2020 !
2
@Virginia Those two things are both jokes. No one I know is seriously pushing for Hillary Clinton to be locked up. Certainly Donald Trump is not. And his plea to Russia to make Hillary Clinton's emails public was clearly a joke.
I know John Brennan has no sense of humor. His puss is pretty sour. But don't you? Are you a sourpuss too?
1
When Trump, as presidential candidate, "publicly called upon Russia to find the missing emails of Mrs. Clinton", everyone on the Right who had been following along on that story already knew or suspected that Clinton had been receiving favorable treatment at the hands of the FBI's investigation into her home-brew server. Trump was poking fun at the state of affairs as they existed; his was Schadenfreude to the Right -- an "in your face" dig at the Establishment's kid-gloves treatment of Clinton.
For you, Brennan, to now pretend that that was a "serious" invitation to Russia to "find" emails that had already been very publicly announced as "destroyed" is risible. Unless you *knew* something that we didn't.
"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." Like HILLARY CLINTON and the DNC, for example, who ACTIVELY "colluded" with the Russians to trump up that phony dossier, with John McCain's instrumental help, which you hand-walked over to Harry Reid? From all the "real" news that has been reported to date (and which continues to unfold), all signs point to the fact that you were running an ILLEGAL spy ring against the Trump campaign which continued after his inauguration, based on an invalid FISA warrant issued under FALSE pretext at the hands of Peter Strzok et alia.
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks"
7
Hiring a proven, reliable former intelligence agent from an allied country to look into Trump’s history with Russia is not colluding with Russia. It is investigating Russia.
12
This revocation is nothing short of an example of how scared and paranoid Trump has become.
He is a acting like frightened dictator, taking what few and weak steps he can to insulate himself from reality.
It will all come home to roost.
As always I ask, "...what would the republicans have done if Obama did this.....".
The hypocrisy is beyond breathtaking.....it is scary....
28
---Much thanks to Director Brennan for doing what I'm sure he simply considers his duty, in challenging the messaging coming from a White House and president that not only can not tell the truth, but is engaging in an ongoing campaign of smears and lies against any who question their numerous examples of malfeasance.
History will judge Mr. Brennan well. A truly honorable American!
11
We can add a collective noun to English along the lines of a "murder" of crows:
A "Trump" of lies.
28
Every person seeking offices in this administration MUST be directly asked the question of "DO YOU SUPPORT TRUMP" on unlimited power to deny access, to censor,issue NDA's for future employees of the government and summarily block any and all resistance to him or his policies.If they refuse to answer directly yes or no, they are voted out. Make sure you vote,write, call and attend meetings where you voice is heard.
6
It's gotten so bad that if Trump arrested every Democrat in Congress, the Republicans would do nothing but cheer, especially McConnell and Ryan. I feel helpless and scared. Anything now is possible in the America that I came to in 1951 as a WW2 refugee fleeing Stalin's Communism that viciously subjugated Latvia and the rest of Eastern Europe. God, please help us.
17
"... if Trump arrested every Democrat in Congress ..."
As an immigrant, you should know that that would be unconstitutional. See Article I, Section 6:
"They [Senators and Representatives] shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place."
1
As an "immigrant" whose family fled Stalin's dictatorship I know a dictator-in waiting, like Trump, would have no problem ignoring the Constitution with the acquiescence of a GOP Congress and GOP loaded US Supreme Court.
Director Brennan:
Thank you, sir, for your unstinting service; for your selfless devotion; for your intellectual brilliance; for the adamantine strength of your character.
As we get older, we know more, not less. Societies that fixate on youth while disparaging advancing yrs themselves decline. Perhaps that is a problem today playing itself out in the USA, in the worst possible way. Perhaps that is where Chinese philosophy has an advantage over the USA & certainly over Russia, where life expectancy is plummeting (although Putin lies about it).
I believe you & your peers should sue Trump & his enablers, by name, by entity. Go after their assets. The people will support you. So will many jurists.
I believe PStrzok also has a winnable case for defamation. He has been vilified for saying far milder things in private to a close friend than Trump & the Trump cult proclaimed using all global platforms, at high decibels.
Suing Trumps & Murdochs to death is worth pursuing, even though other priorities consume us more. Let the lawyers serve you. There's an army of patriotic lawyers eager to contribute.
On this day when we speak out in defense of the 4th Estate, when we mourn Aretha, when we seek justice for victims of rape & conspiracies, let us remember 1 fact: You know all about the NKVD. So do I & a few others. Yes, the worst case scenario is the Truth. But we are many & we are stronger. We have IT. We can/will win this War.
I hang upon your every word. Keep speaking out.
8
Why does John Brennan even need security clearance? He's not working for the government anymore. This is Baby Trump having a tantrum in his crib.
1
@Dave Beemon
John Brennan, as do all former intelligence officers, habitually retain their security clearance not for their own benefit, but for the benefit of the officers who follow them in those roles.
Your "Baby Trump" slur is offensive, directed as it is against a true patriot.
3
@Dave Beemon, he needs clearance so that current gov officials can talk to him about stuff from the past that is classified. Stuff only he may know. Trump will sell out our freedom and safety to enrich himself and save his hide from the Criminal acts that are obvious.
3
@Dave Beemon
CIA (and FBI) conduct undercover operations on regular basis, here an abroad. Some take years to conclude.
Current head of CIA needs to talk with former one to get more insight about what going on. Information which only the former (Brennan) can provide to the incoming one.
1
John Brennan should have never gotten a security clearance in the first place.
8
Thank you Mr. Brennen
10
The only hogwash is this CIA smear campaign. The only collusion lies in the fact that all these players tried to set Trump up from the very beginning.
How's this for collusion....
Clinton foundation under investigation by Comey. Lois Lerner IRS tax exemption? Rosenstien ran the DoJ tax division. Mueller was the FBI director at the time. What's the connection? They were the Frontline investigators. Let's go forward. James Comey cashes in at Lockheed Martin. Hillary at State Dept. Uranium One. Sells 20% of USA uranium to Russia. Clinton foundation received $145 million. Who is still FBI director? Robert Mueller. Who is still in the IRS looking the other way? Lois Lerner. Let's go forward. Benghazi. Trey Gowdy finds out HRC is running State Dept. From an unclassified, unauthorized email server. Classified materials found. Kerry's State Dept. did everything they could to try to cover it up. Who becomes FBI director? James Comey, not before he brings Lockheed Martin 17 no-bid contracts and rewarded $6 million dollars as a departing gift before new FBI job. Amazing all these no-bid contracts were rushed right through the State Dept. Comey exhonerates Lerner. Starts working on exhonerating HRC, without a grand jury. Rosenstein becomes assistant AG, Comey is fired upon a letter by Rosenstein, Comey leaks to the press, Mueller is appointed by Rosenstein to find this "collusion" in an attempt to cover up decades of FBI and DoJ malfeasance. All working to stay out of leavenworth...
11
A bunch of disconnected statements really isn't an argument. Take a deep breath and try again.
2
@Chuckie cheese
I think your cheese is laced with too much of that Qanon concpiracy sauce. How about an unassailable fact: Trump blabbed about highly secret Israeli intelligence to the chief Russian spymaster (call him ambassador) and the Russian foreign minister in the Oval Office. He's the one who should have his security clearance lifted.
3
@Chuckie cheese
The IRS actually made restitution to those conservative groups. A very rare occurrence.
Mr Brennan is lightyears in integrity, leaving trump to disgrace the WH.
10
US Grant headed a scandalous Administration and the country was finally so outraged it - finally - ran the thieves from office. But that was then. My suspicion is that, unless Rupert Murdoch himself cracks down on the Hannity style ‘info wars’, most Trump followers will dismiss every outrage as elite blather, main stream media bias, and left wing lies. All those GOPers sucking up, er, I mean campaigning, all-in as Trump men, will be just as responsible for the coming catastrophes as DJT himself. It’s appalling.
5
What? The guy who spied on US Senators investigating CIA actions, lied to congress, defended torture and masterminded the US assassination by drone program is now the darling of NY Times and progressive Trump haters. Quite stupefying.
15
@Capt. J Parker, just like it is best for us to wait for Mueller to complete the investigation and trial before we declare something true - where have any of your accusations been proved, not just stated.
2
@Capt. J Parker - Trump hate makes strange bedfellows.
1
This is such propaganda garbage. All that's happening here is that John Brennan knows he has a pliant audience and is spoon feeding you all exactly what you want to hear.
He sold WMD's in a very similar manner. How quickly everyone forgets. You should be ashamed of your collective amnesia.
12
Hey USA! Stand with patriots like Brennan, Strzok, McCabe. Drown the Kremlin/Trump conspiracy.
12
Our nation now operates primarily on the principle of capitalism rather than on the principle of what the Romans called "virtu". While there is no exact English equivalent for "virtu", it meant honesty, integrity, patriotism, honor, all rolled into one. It meant doing the right thing in all matters even when no one else was looking. It meant striving to be the best person you could be. Without that democracy doesn't work.
In a nation where everyone and everything is worth a market-determined value, there is no place for virtu. Capitalism is wonderful thing for the production of material wealth, but it has no soul. (I wince when I hear young people refer to themselves as a "brand".) Trump is unrestrained capitalism personified. He isn't an accident. He is inevitable.
9
@Prairie Populist America operates on the feudal principles of (1) the rich and powerful are not subject to the same laws as other citizens, and (2) it is the poor and powerless that must bear the burden. Trump and his cabal of crooks are feudal robber barons who want to ravage the country for their own profit.
2
This!! Unbridled greed and crony capitalism are destroying morals, hope, the soul of the nation, shared values, and in the end democracy.
2
Spot on Mr. Brennan. Thank you for continuing to speak out.
8
Thank you for your service, Mr. Brennan, and for this powerful statement of truth in the face of #45's lies, rages, and obfuscation.
8
A lot of hot air in this piece, but it boils down to the inconclusive "one wonders."
"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."
I wonder, too, but I don't declare "hogwash" from such soft ground.
Mueller will find a bunch of gray-area activities, the political solution will be as impossible as any other, and Trump will either lose the next election of be dumped from the ticket. Much as we'd like to see him in jail...
2
Thank you Mr Brennan for your service to the nation.Speaking out is what a patriot must do in this compromised and confused times.It is sad to witness the divisions and diminishing morality perpetrated daily from this White House.Repeating a lie again and again does not make it truth although it certainly adds to polarization and enmity all around us.Even a US senator Mr Kennedy from Louisiana engaged in a mindless word attack on Mr Brennan calling him “butthead”for expressing his first amendment right.Why the meanness?
What has Mr.Kennedy done to contribute to civil discourse and search for truth these difficult times?We need honorable representatives of the people and not more combatants in muck,
5
The decay and rot of the Obama administration brought us people like Brennan.
He is a vile, partisan, liar. The epitome of the administration he served.
5
Trump is TRAITOR!
8
No Mr. Brennan, everything that comes out of your mouth is hogwash. As evidenced by your vote for a Communist during the heart of the Cold War, you too employ the Marxist and Alinskyite playbook engaging in endless lies, misdirection, and Machiavellian machinations. You and your Lord Barack Obama were and are corrupt to the core and hatched a plot so devious that it would appear incredible. You tried to undermine a candidate for and then duly elected President of the United States employing all of the resources of the US Government. The Steele Dossier, the Russian collusion narrative, and FISA warrants were based totally on fiction provided by Russian sources and amount to nothing short of treason/sedition. In short, you are the pot calling the kettle black. You, Obama, Comey, Clapper, Hillary, Rice, Strozck, Page, Ohr and the rest belong in prison. One can only hope that the subversive media such as the New York Times who were and have been complicit in your plot all along will realize that a free press was intended as a check on ALL power, not just those they disagree with. If they don't, they deserve the same fate as the aforementioned traitors to our democracy
6
What a bummer Donnie. Apparently the honorable John Brennan is not afraid of you or your childish threats.
13
Brennan did push the "dossier" that the DNC bought from Putin for $12 million. Denials are hogwash
6
@Jim Wahl You mean the 'dossier' originally funced by the Republicans, right?
10
@SAJP
Get your facts straight please. The Steele "dossier" was not funded by Republicans. The Washington Free Beacon's (a newspaper by the way) engagement of Fusion GPS had long been concluded before Steele was even retained by Fusion GPS to "investigate" and prepare the "dossier". Fusion GPS and Steele were working for the law firm retained and paid by HRC campaign and the DNC.
@SAJP
No. The dossier that the Democrats funded with a Russia angle after a conservative group cancelled their agreement with Simpson. But you knew that right?
It also occurs to me Trump may also fear that if you had chosen to use your security clearance to "nose around" you may come upon further ammunition to discredit him.
4
When Brennan says "Trump’s claims of no collusion are, in a word, hogwash.", what i think he means is, "Yes Collusion!" And he oughta know, since he presumably saw the intelligence. And GOP congress is obviously complicit in the covrrup. Lock them ALL up,Trump and his enablers in congress.
15
@RC That's exactly why Brennan's clearance needed to be revoked. He offers no evidence yet asserts collusion, misleading Americans who think that the former CIA director has actual knowledge of damning facts.
5
@LDave
Or could it be that he takes his responsibility VERY SERIOUSLY and would not divulge facts considered classified?
It appears that FOX News and Rand Paul have now replaced the CIA and National Security Council in determining who should be allowed to keep security clearances. Sad
11
Hopefully, the November, 2018 elections will start us on the road to the end of our NATIONAL NIGHTMARE.
11
For someone who claims to be so innocent, Trump does an impressively good job at appearing guilty.
14
Brennan: "Mr. Trump’s claims of no collusion are, in a word, hogwash."
There is no crime called "collusion", and Brennan is not a lawyer.
Brennan: "... Paul Manafort ... Rick Gates ..."
They haven't implicated Trump, so what they might have done is irrelevant. Brennan is using insinuation instead of evidence.
7
If you read the article, you would know that Brennan stated that the legality or illegality of the colllusion has yet to be determined.
1
@IYW
"They haven't implicated Trump..."
Are you not using insinuation instead of evidence?
1
Politics notwithstanding. When former heads of CIA, NSA & FBI - same people who have dedicated their lives and who's job to know, are warning the public about matters of national security - we should listen.
As Mr Brennan points out, Trump's own stupidity and loud mouth (and Tweets) provide the clear evidence of his collusion & conspiracy with Russia to break the law.
Now the question is. Will GOP leaders in congress put our freedom, democracy, openness and future of the nation as per-eminent force of peace , stability & prosperity ahead of their own narrow, and failed ideology? Do their job to preserve those attributes which made US such a great nation.
Is Mr. Brennan's op-ed marks beginning of the end to Trump Presidency?. Who knows - time will tell.
8
Thank you Mr. Brennan for sharing your thoughts and expertise with your fellow Americans. It's amazing that so many citizens, especially in leadership ranks, refuse to listen.
I used to wonder if it was true that a mere ten percent of the population in a democracy could overthrow the government. Now, I know that in fact, we are witnessing such an event. It's like a lone voice in the wilderness warning citizens of the consequences of this presidency. How could a Republican Congress support the nefarious ways of a delusional and deranged president?
Remember these days and Mr. Brennan's warnings this November at the voting box.
7
Like Mueller's investigation, this editorial offers no evidence that Trump or any other American colluded with Russia. This editorial even deigns to mention the Manafort trial, as if it somehow relates to the election. The Russians, like most observers, probably thought Hillary would win and released the hacked DNC emails to compromise her.
5
Mr. Brennan , when I left the military employment my security clearance was suspended until my review date came and then it was terminated. What Trump did to you and hopefully others is standard practice in my world. You have no reason to keep your clearance except for personal gain. Cry me a river about you being singled out but it should have been done when you left the federal government. Ever heard of need to know, it is a basic of clearances and you no longer have a need to know. Your poor bruised ego does not mean a thing to security. Live with it.
11
@dennis
incorrect. It is highly unusual for a former CIA director to ever lose his security clearance.
Further, as Brennan correctly stated, but you are too stupid to understand, Brennan is not concerned about his OWN security clearance. he is concerned that this action will be, correctly, perceived as a threat to anyone else, currently working in government, to prevent them from speaking out when they see something wrong.
11
@dennis It's in the nation's interest for him to retain his security clearance so he can provide counsel to current office holders. Also, this (revoking security clearance upon leaving office) didn't seem to be a practice when Michael Flynn was dismissed and pleaded guilty. It seems that this is an example of the president's pique in action--personal vendetta politics, plain and simple.
9
Dennis needs to understand that someone like Mr. Brennan, with over 20 years of experience, is often called back to help give his expertise in urgent matters that arise pertaining to our countries security. Often people in his position will work for months at no pay, simply to keep us all safe. This President is endangering all of us when he uses his power to aid a personal vendetta.
9
How can any nation expect to be governed, and withstand the endless tirades from bias speakers on commercially driven CNN and FOX? To paraphrase David Cornwall, (John LeCarre) "The Western media's demonization and their ludicrous posture does not allow their ignorance to stand in the way of their intolerance."
4
Wow, John Brennan unchained! I'm glad that there are still some loyal Americans in positions of power & influence. Being relieved of his "security clearance" decorum may have been just the ticket. And he has no obligation to protect any information he obtains going forward.
12
Maybe now is the time for some of our patriotic billionaires to promise a good paying job to any public servant who is targeted and fired by Trump for doing their job and serving their country -rather than cowing to him. This bullying of public servants will only work if he can actually hurt people.
3
Thank you Mr. Brennan, for serving our country and continuing to speak out against this corrupt and unfit man.
You are a true patriot and history will remember you as one of the few who had the guts to stand up to Donald Trump.
5
And yet, despite his screed, Mr. Brennan cites absolutely no evidence of Trump colluding with the Russians. Let's remember that it was Obama CIA Director John Brennan who committed the "original sin" by launching the "Russian collision with Trump" yarn himself. He leaked the existence of a "dossier" to Harry Reid, who then contacted James Comey and got the investigation rolling. However, Brennan did not leak the fact that the dossier was paid for by Hillary Clinton and the DNC or that nothing in the dossier had even been verified. John Brennan has no principles. He is not a patriot. He lost his security clearance — an action that was overdue. It has nothing to do with free speech. He is simply scared that his role in this charade is becoming clearer by the day.
10
If President Trump's claims of Russian collusion are hogwash, why doesn't Brennan supply the evidence to the contrary ?
4
@Ron
I'm guessing he has. With Mr. Mueller. That is one of the Dotard's many petty criticisms of Mr. Brennan.
1
You do not have o be a Trump supporter to recognize that John Brennan has been way too political. He has morphed into a partisan hack who plays a former CIA Director on television. He is free to speak and tell anything and everything he knows. But surely no one thinks he could be of value to anyone serving in the current administration. So there is no need for him to use the credibility afforded by a current high-level security clearance to enhance his unseemly public commentary.
7
If Mr. Brennan had a scintilla of evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, it would have been in the hands of Mueller and the NYT long ago. When this whole story finally is told we will find that Brennan is a significant part of creating this false narrative. His use of the CIA when he was director to involve the CIA in a political escapade is not only shameful but dangerous.l
7
Really hope the criminal ex-CIA director get what's coming to him. Never seen a more pompous, deceitful, arrogant government official in the entirety of my 40 years on this Earth. Get him President Trump!
5
John Brennan is a patriot, and a classy individual. From the bottom of my heart, I thank him for his service to our country.
Donald Trump is a traitor, a thief, a racist, a womanizer, an objectifier of women and an egomaniac. He has never performed one selfless act in his LIFE.
With the vast majority of Americans, I stand with John Brennan.
I look forward to the day the Tyrant in Chief is gone for good.
8
If Brennan knew why was nothing done at the time to stop meddling by Russia? I see nothing mentioned other than he allowed it to happen...Unless I'm missing something?
5
@Dave
They, being the entire Obama administration, thought Hillary was going to win so they had no reason to interfere with the election.
Until Hillary lost...
1
BRAVO, Mr. Brennan! Petulant, adolescent prez strikes out again. He's terrified that house of cards is falling in, so he lashes out at Brennan who speak up and make Donnie accountable. For that he loses SC. How many more despicable petty, childish retaliations is he going to make before he's out of office - collusion, obstruction of justice, fraud, money laundering - there is what his administration has brought upon itself. He's an amoral, degraded sociopath - Omarosa plays his game better than he; Brennan calls him out legitimately for his lack of knowledge, absurd shenanigans, daily rants, lies and obfuscation. It's coming - Donnie is in the crosshairs!!
2
There is not ONE SINGLE FACT in this article to substantiate the sweeping, headline-grabbing conclusion that Trump's denials of collusion are "hogwash"! This makes Brennan appear almost delusional.
5
@Indep "Russia (not China, not some 400 lb. guy on his bed), if you're listening, I hope you find the missing emails..." Collusion, not to mention shocking that a candidate for US President would ask a foreign adversary to commit a crime by hacking into US emails in order to help him win, never mind right out in the open, and shocking further that 60 million Americans would vote for him despite that.
7
@Virginia
I think you need to check the definition of the word "collusion" Champ!
@Virginia
Russia must be very polite to have waited until Trump invited them to look for the 30,000 "lost" emails. Somehow I don't think Putin has those kind of manners.
But let's do not forget Trump and his administration already ongoing effort which has more effectively counter acting with Muller probe.
Denial is working at some level, but real action is here , degeneration.
Trump almost totally degenerated the seriousness of government and all legal community. he did maximum damage to undermine free press and law system. the air fillied with putrified smell and fog.
His denials are not some thing to pay attention for , his denials are as much clumsy as a child caught hands in cokie jar and starting immediately denying. It is not working.
But degeneration is working, nothing is important and serious and accountable , he creates this air. that pervasive thought already firmly implanted in his followers, rest was appaled which is expected and the end result is everybody paralyzed.
Trump is degenerating every concept we believe dearly.
3
I hope Mr. Brennan will challenge this in court. Because there's a good chance he'll win, and that would end Pres. Trump's ability to use "loss of security clearance" as a threat against other public servants.
8
Trump loyalists yet again bow to King Ignorance. Collusion occurred, Trump knew, Trump became a useful idiot to threaten our democracy under Putin's direction.
5
@Frank Jasko
Maybe you can provide your evidence of collusion to the Mueller investigators; they certainly don't seem to have found any.
Also, maybe you can provide a federal criminal statute for collusion while you're at it.
1
Extraordinary commentary by Mr. Brennan and a wake up call for Americans. Trump thinks he is above the law, but no one is above the law in this country. Sanders announced Trump's 'Enemy List' yesterday and it was like being back in the Nixon years; shocking and unacceptable. Trump needs to resign or be impeached.
2
When is the US Congress to step up and end the POTUS's misuse and abuse of power from the WH? When?! This presidential misconduct has not set off an alarm and GOP doesn't shout, "CRISIS! He did it again. Call for an emergency meeting," then these gentlemen/ladies are the ACCOMPLICES contributing to the criminal conspiracy against the people and country they have pledged to serve and are engaging in an extensive coverup and appeasement. America deserves better. Maybe Osama bin Laden has succeeded in his campaign for "Death to America!" I didn't think it could be a self-inflicted one committed by the establishment in the broad daylight. My heart goes out to our younger generations who will bear the biggest and longest blunt from it, financially, culturally, and emotionally.
1
Who will be punished next for speaking against this president and how? He used to threaten libel suits and revoking the licenses of broadcasters. He publicly humiliates black athletes but he could do more. IRS audits? He has broad surveillance powers under anti-terrorist laws and could use them to destroy the reputations and livelihoods of any of his critics. Republicans are giving him free rein, which is why the midterms are so important for our democracy. Without push-back from patriots in Congress, there is no stopping him.
4
Trump seems to think that revoking someone's security clearance somehow erases all memory of security issues. In reality, what it does do is remove decades of invaluable experience from the government, and, therefore, further hinders the government. So again, Trump proves himself a Russian puppet. Was this what Putin and Trump quietly talked about? The idea, though, supposedly came from Rand Paul. Didn't he also go to Russia? What a web of deceit these men do weave.
6
The drum beat keeps getting louder and louder. Meanwhile, the rest of the civilized world must be blown away at how much time and energy is wasted by “Trump Inc.” and his complicit mafiosos that desperately attempt to conceal the TRUTH.
Denial - Denial -Denial. “I am not a crook.” Wasn’t that Nixon’s downfall?
4
I have no grudge against Russia but having a president who is obviously compromised by and indebted to a foreign power - any foreign power - is extremely dangerous. We have three branches of government precisely to protect us from abuse by any one of them. But when our legislative branch stands by and even enables an executive who clearly, at best, is unstable, deeply insecure and way out of his depth, there comes a time when the American people have no choice but to act. Directly.
Thank you Mr. Brennan.
6
Brennan's article is very well crafted. He knows "hogwash" when he sees it. We will have to wait for Mueller to see whether the collusion is criminal.
But why is it that so many of our fellow citizens find hope in Trump, a hope that sweeps what Brennan sees under the rug? While our economy appears to be humming along, our politics can't seem to get anything done.
What Brennan sees between the lines is the legitimate fear that those who sweep "hogwash" under the rug may be enough to leverage our broken politics from democracy to something more backward but more effective. Brennan is right to be hard headed and call "hogwash" by its right name.
Whether this kind of candor will be enough to preserve our democracy is another question. Many people need our politics to be more effective, and for that reason place their hope in something new and different like Trump.
1
Once upon a time, children, we had American presidents who spoke like this....
“or, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.”
Now we have one who speaks like this
“Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!”
And he still gets votes and support? Trump debases humanity, not just America.
5
"... we had American presidents who spoke like this ..."
Kennedy was a master of meaningless rhetoric. You should be recalling Kennedy's approval of the failed invasion of Cuba, and his nepotism when he appointed his brother as Attorney General.
1
@WatchingBrit Well, he's a New Yorker, and I find it wholly refreshing considering all the gas bags in DC -- including his predecessor.
2
@IYW the rhetoric isn’t meaningless. It raises humanity. Trump debases humanity, and, in the process, America itself.
Over 80 percent of British people dislike Trump. It is a similar statistic in many European countries. In Germany it is higher. Do Republicans care so little for the damage he is doing to America worldwide?
Still, I think Putin likes him.
Even if Trump came out and said "yes, I colluded with Russians to win the 2016 election," his tribal base would be so angry, they would not believe it. They would think it was "fake" or staged. We have a crisis of ignorance in America.
8
Mr Brennon shows how the Russians have played the Trump toadies like violins. Oh, the irony, it's a classic tragedy. I'm sure Trump himself can't bear the realization that he and his whole camp are being manipulated. No wonder he's incoherent.
And, a classic tragedy in the sense that the personal character flaws of a few people, such as greed, selfishness, and hedonism, wreak chaos on millions and millions of people in our country and around the world.
2
Brennan will go down in history as a great American hero.
3
I'm absolutely amazed (I probably shouldn't be by now) that there are so many pro-Trump commenters here trashing John Brennan. Ironically, for them it seems that no one can be trusted to tell the truth except the president, a man who has uttered more than 3,000 documented lies in less than two years. Yet when he tells the truth in inconvenient ways (telling Lester Holt why he fired Flynn, asking Russia to find and release the Clinton emails, for instance), those in-your-face truths are dismissed as humor or showmanship--or just simply dismissed. If enough people believe only what the president wants them to believe, facts will be dead and we will no longer have a functioning democracy. That future is not far away, and we owe a great debt to people like John Brennan for sticking their necks out and trying to stop that from happening.
12
@AGS There is a vested interest (on this day in particular) by Breitbart et al. to sow public mistrust through the propagation of conspiratorial theory and abject loyalist rhetoric. You'll see this quite a lot today.
1
@AGS
Even more surprising is this newfound love for a head of the CIA. Normally, progressives would be protesting Brennan and calling for his imprisonment. Now he's their hero, and suddenly the CIA is a noble organization.
Thank you Mr. Brennan...please continue to speak out. America needs your voice.
3
"United States intelligence community publicly assessed a few short months later were to undermine public faith in the American democratic process"
So, Mr. Brennan, you acknowledge that "undermining public faith in the American democratic process" is a Russian goal. You with your claims of collusion are undermining the faith in the 2016 election. It appears, Mr. Brennon, that you are assisting in the Russian effort. Collusion maybe?
3
"In an interview with the Wall Street Journal posted late Wednesday, President Trump once again gave away the ballgame when it comes to his efforts to affect 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.”"
Political hit job on anybody, everybody involved in counter-intelligence and investigations relating to Russia or Trump...absolutely, cause the Fool On the Hill has confirmed it, AGAIN.
3
Expected alot more out of this. Nothing to see here at all besides an angry old man. We have enough of those already.
3
Please keep helping deliver us from the Trump monsters. Truth must survive terrible trials but will inevitably prevail.
1
Thank you, Mr. Brennan! Well said. You are a true American public servant dedicated to the principles of our constitution. That you lost your security clearance for speaking the truth by a president who is clearly in the pocket of a hostile foreign power is a tribute to you and your integrity.
I hope you return to public service once this scoundrel and his toadies (i.e. Sarah Huckabee Sanders) are thrown out of our government.
3
Mr. Brennan, as you know, security clearances are granted on a need to know basis. I would hope that in your previous position you followed this rule religiously. My question to you sir, what is your current need to know?
5
@Ed Williamson: Sometimes former intelligence personnel are contacted for background and/or advice about a situation they were once involved with. Without security clearance, that can't happen. Which could be an unnecessary loss for our country.
2
“Need to know” should be predicated on “ability to comprehend,” not simply position in the administration.
In that sense, Mr Brennan has a much better claim to his security clearance than POTUS or his family or sycophants
No where in this 'defense' is the mention of his lying to Congress. No where does he mention spying on the Senate committee responsible for security oversight.
This man is as corrupt as is POTUS.
4
Johnny, you forgot to mention that literally all of Manafort's and Gate's criminal offenses occurred well before they were involved with Trump. It also slipped your mind that when the Russians were doing the bulk of this criminal activity, you were in charge. Why didn't you do something about it? I guess if using a document that was unverified to get a FISA warrant against the Trump Campaign is your idea of "doing something" then maybe you should be investigated a well.
4
@RD you are wrong in so many ways!
Several Manafort crimes were committed during his time working with Trump: Fraudulent bank loans and money laundering occurred during and immediately after his time as a campaign manager. Securing the loan with promises of Secretary of the Army post for the bank president? Not relevant enough for you?
There was nothing the least bit fishy about the FISA warrant. If it had been followed for political purposes, Obama and Hillary would have lit it up. Obama decided not to do so because of the campaign. If anything, Democrats would blame him for not having pressed it and saved us from the dishonesty, racism, harm to public services, decreased esteem among nations etc. that we have suffered under Agent Orange. When our intelligence services see communications between Americans and foreign powers, they take note. And when those investigations show possible harm to America’s interests, they often choose warrants to investigate further. You Trumpians would have been all over this if Hillary had made those some contacts. And you HAVE - with the baseless charges around the uranium deal.
1
John Brennan is a bitter old man,who liberally uses the term "hogwash," but presents no proof that President Trump colluded with the Russian government to win the election. If Hillary Clinton could not even carry the white women's vote, how was she ever going to win in 2016?
4
@John Kellum
You should forget Hillary lost election issue, Even there is a collusion, so what Hillary get back his presidency, NOOOOO
A profile in courage- thank you Mr. Brennan- although your words will emerge tattered and torn after the spin cycle, my granddaughter may be able to read that there was at least one man who strove to reach the unreachable while our ideals disappeared in sound and fury.
11
People fail to understand that to declare specifics about Trump and his collusion with the Russians risks exposing how our intelligence agencies collect their information. Once exposed, those sources shut down.
I am as skeptical as the next guy but I do understand that to disclose specifics risks exposing methods and networks that would take years to replace.
9
Fox News legal analyst says "Brennan is a serious national security risk, and Trump was wise and correct to revoke his security clearance."
Our right wing media influence has helped give the green light to an authoritarian president and his paranoid whims.
By contrast, during Watergate there was no right wing monopoly like Fox News, which didn't start until 1996. And a few Republicans, including rw Goldwater, did put principal over politics , and told Nixon he didn't have the Senate votes to avoid impeachment so he should go. Healing could then start.
Over years, the rw media monopolies, now combined with social media, have been manipulating the public with "alternative facts." Fox is now GOP state media, poisoning our discourse and allied with our American Authoritarian Leader.
There was a good reason for our previous anti monopoly laws for media that prevented too much ownership of radio/TV, newspapers in a given area, to prevent such dominance and power.
Unfortunately Bill Clinton cooperated with the Republicans in the 90s to repeal those anti monopoly laws. That's the kind of bipartisanship we don't need. Don’t think he foresaw the result.
Continual ripple effects. Who knows, without the Fox News influence on many voters, maybe Hillary would have won. Or maybe Trump wouldn't have gotten nominated in the 1st place.
Wow, then our 24 hour news cycle would've been less alarming.
14
As much as I share John Brennan's sentiments, he throws suspicion on the entire intelligence community by using his special access for raw political purposes.
Does Brennan merely prove that Donald Trump is correct about a conspiracy against him in the intelligence community? No... I don't think so, but Brennan shreds the credibility of the intelligence community through his brazen political attacks.
The intelligence community, at no matter what level, can only be trusted by the American people if they demonstrate absolute indifference to politics.
Indifference to politics must be a requirement of any intelligence employee. ANYONE in such a position who expresses a personal opinion on politics as a result of secret information that he is privy to should immediately be fired.
If someone with such knowledge, gained through being privy to information through his job, suspects illegal activity then it his responsibility is to confidentially report through appropriate channels, not through the news media.
10
You are aware that Brennan is a private citizen and has been for 18 months, right? I hope you aren't suggesting that former intelligence officers don't have the right to criticize their government when they see it misbehaving. Brennan has not shared biblically any classified information, so what has he done wrong?
4
"... using his special access ..."
What "special access" did Brennan "use" in his OpEd?
4
@FanieW
The question would be to what extent his opinions are influenced by information that he is privy to as a result of his security access.
The problem is of course is that we do not know, which damages his credibility as to his obligation to remain impartial as a public servant. He is only lending credibility to and feeding the whole "Deep State" nonsense.
His personal opinions should be welcome, but to the extent that they are influenced by his special knowledge, that belongs under oath to Congress or a Court. But again, the public has no way of knowing.
Brennan's years of public service to both Republican and Democratic President's is well known, along with his reputation for honesty. Clearance for former officials like him are not for them to show up to review data, but rather to allow their experience to be put to good use in reviewing past operations they were involved in, and possibly help in their ongoing nature. Brennan and the others on the laundry/enemies list recited with her usual haughty condescension by Sarah Huckabee Sanders yesterday will now be removed from this valuable service should it be deemed as helpful by current non-political operatives in intelligence. Trump's personal feeling of revenge for anyone who dare to speak against him assures this loss. In my view, Trump's action serves to make more likely true everything Brennan and others have been saying about him for months. Our democracy is in the hands of someone who has no understanding of what the word means.
20
@Rich he seeks to undermine a fairly elected President. One does not provide their attacker with a weapon and that is precisely what Brennan would use the clearance for. He has been relieved of duty and needs to go fish.
2
@kwc57 will have to agree to disagree on that. I believe it is Trump's position you detail, but it is not steeped in reality. Nothing of the sort. If and it is doubtful he ever would be called upon, to think that Brennan with a lifetime of service would do anything against the security of the United States is absurd. I'll put his public record up against a guy who avoided military service multiple times for crying about a sore foot, all the while playing 18 holes a day at Wing Foot (no pun intended)and then years later could not recall which foot he had an injury on. Seriously, it seems patently clear that this President believes only those who kiss his ring are capable of helping out intelligence when called upon to do so. This shallow view resulted in this action, with not a scintilla of rational reason behind it other than a personal agenda. No protocol, no notifying those who it might affect. As usual it's run by the seat of his pants president. This actions insults hundreds of career intelligence personnel who's duty and loyalty are to our country and has been for much of their adult life.
Mr. Brennan is a true American hero. Thank you for your courage and truth. These are two things this president and his republican cohorts are lacking. Perhaps they are complicit in receiving Russian money which is the only explanation for their silence. Justice will prevail because most Americans are decent and well, AMERICANS.
11
Thanks to John Brennan for his service to his country, and for his decision to write this OpEd column about the perfidy of Trump. What will it take for the Republicans in Congress to contain the damage done by this President, who tramples all over human rights, and the legislation enacted to protect Americans.
We know that most Republicans in Congress have accepted $millions from various corporations, organizations and individuals to do their bidding, and, sadly, it looks as though all of them have sold their integrity, their honor, and their love of country.
All of us must vote in November!
14
@Elizabeth Bennett I am sure the Democrats have not accepted one dollar from " various corporations, organizations and individuals to do their bidding " - just ask Hilary Clinton.
I would love to see a list of all the human rights that President Trump has trampled.
2
Does any one else see the irony in a former CIA Director bellyaching about foreign intervention in our country? By no means do I mean to condone or minimize the indisputable fact that a hostile foreign power interfered with our country (to merely say interfered with our elections would be minimizing the adverse impact of such a dastardly act on a nation as a whole). Furthermore, I do believe those in our country who colluded with the foreign power should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Irrespective of their office or position. My point is this: over the decades we too have committed the same crime against other, often less developed, countries. From South and Central America to the Middle East. And these plots have always been spearheaded by the CIA. My sincere hope is that having been administered a dose of the same medication, we now know how awful it tastes. Here's hoping we shall stop perpetrating this crime on others.
2
Director Brennan's alarming, urgent observations on the Russia/ Trump conspiracy to destroy this country and the Western Front need to be taken seriously. He’s clearly not seeking personal benefit nor engaging in hyperbole.
Trump’s amoral daily public behavior underscores the need to for Congress and the country for deep reflection. At issue is Trump’s utter lack of ethics and morality, which makes it difficult to comprehend why some people are calling Director Brennan a "fierce partisan". What they fail to mention are Trump's treasonous actions with Putin to tilt the elections, his brutish, destructive actions at NATO's meetings, attacks on foreign leaders and allied nations, secret meetings with Russia's foreign minister and ambassador in the Oval Office where he declares to have gotten rid of that "meddlesome" FBI Director - these are tangible, proven events that have rendered the world perplexingly much less safe.
Given Trump’s malleable moral compass, some actors see this as an opportunity to take advantage for ends that no other US Administration would have or will approve: the giveaway of Crimea and Jerusalem, for instance; or, the trillion dollar tax give away, or the destruction of the regulations, or promotion of race baiting. Those who attack Director Brennan and defend Trump have a lot to account for.
9
Well said, Mr. Brennan. Whether you like or dislike Trump, every American should be offended and alarmed by his action to revoke John Brennan's security clearance. Trump's behavior has consistently demonstrated a man with autocratic motivations. It is dangerous and threatens our way of life!
9
Thank you Mr. Brennan. You tell the truth about our treasonous, criminal Liar in Chief.
There are so few in Washington today that have the courage to say exactly what needs to be said in plain language.
I would hope more learn from your example of speaking the truth. Speaking the truth resulted in the removal of your security clearance.
Yes, you are now at the top of our despot’s enemy list. Wear it as a badge of honor.
5
Thank you for your service. I hope that Trump’s action frees you to speak out even more vociferously against him.
3
Thank you John O. Brennan. And my thanks to your former colleagues, America's sane bureaucrats protecting us from the miasma tainting all things Trump.
1
The president’s father in law, who was a member of communist party and is now a proud Chain Migrant, now sleeps in the White House while former career intelligence and justice leaders are being martyred for daring to exercise their right to free speech. The vacuum in the legislative branch has been filled by cowards!
10
Interesting that these comments are being cluttered up with Putin’s bots, attacking Brennan and defending Trump. They’re trying to demoralize us all. Don’t fall for it. Remain engaged, and for gods sake, get out and vote in November.
14
@Try To Be Amused. Good grief. Russian bots? I am a living breathing American who happens to hold conservative views. Brennan is a proven liar and is / has been a political actor.
By the way, think about it: comments made by folks here likely reflect the NYT readership -- mostly liberal. They also get the most recommendations by other readers, while conservative views or those supportive of Trump get a handful of recommendations. So, if Russian bots are prevalent, why wouldn't they ensure the views they agree with got significantly more likes and appeared as " Reader Picks"?
2
John Brennan, the CIA Director who lied to and spied on the Senate, in order to obstruct their constitutional duty to provide oversight is given a platform and credibility by the “Paper of Record?”
For Shame.
PS. He spied on them during the creation of a report about CzIA torture and destruction of evidence. Double Shame.
PPS. Relevant to a war that this paper lied us into. Aluminum tubes anyone? Mushroom cloud? Yellowcake? Sitting on the fact that the CIA and NSA were spying on us, for over a year? Keeping us in the dark until after Bush got re-elected.
9
Oh the irony. Brennan spread the Russian fiction in the Steele dossier to Congress and the press in an effort to swing an election and defeat Trump. There is no dispute of that fact. Why would the CIA director insert himself into a political election? Why would he be helping a foreign spy (Steele) spread Russian stories about Trump? Brennan colluded with Russians to swing an election because of his hatred of Trump. He joins the merry band of Trump haters - Comey, Clapper, Stzrok, Page, McCabe, etc. - in colluding with Russians to elect Clinton. Time for Brennan to remain silent as what he is saying will be used against him.
7
powerful piece.
The pathetic part is that the Trumpian base will continue to cheer Trumps attempts to shut down any investigation into his own criminal and treasonous actions.
10
Two jerks do not make a right. Brennan has not been honest with the American people. He was in part responsible for the dirty dossier and the leak to the press. He has been highly partisan and makes wild accusation with no evidence to back it up. The man should not be lionized. Brennan is so off kilter he even voted Communist once and admits it. He should not have been head of the CIA. There is no good reason that Brennan should have a security clearance. He is out of office and simply spewing accusations. This is no defense of Trump, but Brennan is hardly one to criticize or attack Trump.
8
All he's asking for is for Mueller to complete his work. Looks like today's jury deliberation is a step in that direction. It would take a year to try a whiplash case in Kansas. If the hogwash comment comes from top secret info Brennan can't disclose, he's still under his prior NDA with the agency. Can't see the issue here. Mueller, a Republican, is doing his job.
2
Trump is a dangerous liar, and his presidency is an abomination. But the lionization of John Brennan is misguided.
In 2014, the CIA Inspector General found that the agency, with Brennan at its helm, hacked into the computers of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which at the time was investigating the CIA's detention and interrogation program. Before the IG report was published, Brennan had publicly denied the hacking. In other words, he didn't tell the truth. (see NYT 7/21/14: "Inquiry by C.I.A. Affirms It Spied on Senate Panel")
At the time, many observers, including the digital opinions editor for the Washington Post, argued that Brennan should be fired for his mendacity about the Senate hacking. (See Washington Post 7/31/14: "Obama should fire John Brennan")
But this was not the first time Brennan failed tell the truth about a consequential government matter. CIA's own documents show that Brennan's 2011 claim that there had been no civilian deaths in the previous year from the U.S. drone strike program was false. (See The Bureau of Investigative Journalism 11/4/13: "Secret US Documents Show Brennan’s ‘No Civilian Drone Deaths’ Claim Was False")
Trump's presidency is an abomination, but our democracy is in even bigger trouble if we become a nation of amnesiacs who make heroes out of people who have abused the public trust just because they oppose President.
4
Just more TRUMP provided evidence of "collusion" and likely obstruction. This is more symbolic lashing out. As I understand from others who's clearances were deleted, when they left government employment those clearances were automatically terminated anyway.
Also anything any of those with "Terminated" clearances still possess the exact same knowledge as before so what was the point of this show?
Just a pointless and ignorant exercise in futility by a president running scared of his eventual downfall.
NO ONE fights the truth more than someone who has everything to lose.
http://joethevoter.org/index.php/putin-puppet
6
Is there a prediction on when the Manafort jury will make its decision? Just trying to figure out how long to wait for the next big distraction.
2
What is heartbreaking and if you strip this mess to its core, if government would have functioned like it was designed maybe we would not be in this full blown mess. Bottom line Republicans are to blame. From Merrick Garland to not supporting President Obama to go public about Russian interference to pitting fights about healthcare to spreading lies about wanting to take away “your” guns to saying immigrants are criminals, to not supporting our intelligence agencies..... Some politicians have forgotten they are public servants. The hypocrisy of most republicans is incomprehensible.
When will the majority stop being ruled by the minority?
4
@Kim H if we strip all this mess away and the government functioned like it should, this would not be a democracy, but a constituional republic in which the minority is protected from the majority...
Seems Mr. Brennan has a political opinion he is free express despite lacking security clearance. Am I the only one missing this? It is true that with security clearance, you get to see secret stuff, but uh, you aren't supposed to walk those secrets down to the, uh, New York Times. Anyway, Mueller's clearance is next, mark my words.
4
Perhaps Mr. Brennan could explain why President Obama repeatedly denied tampering by the Russians until Hillary lost? Why did Obama, Brennan and Comey take no effective action against the Russians? Why did Brennan and Comey clearly and unequivocally collude with Clinton to obtain and use the scurrilous and fake dossier and their public offices against Trump in their official actions. Why did they not investigate Clinton's collusion with an MI6 agent from the UK and Russian agents who made up the dossier? Why isn't Mueller? Two years into the attack on Trump by the DOJ, FBI and CIA, scores of millions of dollars and still no facts about a made up crime "collusion". No wonder the Russian and Chinese intelligence services laugh at us.
Trump is a ludicrous choice for President until, to paraphrase Mr. Churchill, you look at all of the rest. The real threat to our freedoms has come from an embedded, incestuous and greedy establishment who, much to their surprise since they controlled the supine corporate media, lost a free and open democratic election. That establishment demands business as usual and that their right to rule us be maintained. That is what the monster they made, Trump, is threatening. Brennan is one of their most dishonest spokesmen and servants. An establishment butler if you will. Sister Elizabeth in fourth grade would have given this dishonest screed and F.
3
A short time ago, John Brennan openly called the President of the United States "traitorous" to our country. He did so because he - John Brennan - determined the tone struck by President Trump at a joint press conference with Vladimir Putin, was not strident enough, hostile enough, or confrontational enough to suit his - John Brennan's - taste and personal hatred for the Russians.
Comes now, with his constraints completely lifted and dripping with venom, he proceeds to further undermine America's democracy with this OpEd that only proves nothing again.
What is the actual mechanism Russia used to change the results of the 2016 election? Let us know!!! Let us know how, why and where Russia is our greatest enemy given the abundance of proof that economically and militarily our true adversary is China.
Given the Clinton campaign's payments to Russian operatives via Christopher Steel via Fusion GPS, to undermine the 2016 election, what constitutes collusion? What is it?! Please tell us!
Please explain to me how Manafort's prosecution has anything to do with the 2016 election.
John Brennan is the ultimate useful idiot to those who want to undermine the President. To spout off the way he has, given who he was, and the lack of information he's produced, shows him to be a deranged and unhinged partisan. He is a true enemy of democracy and the will of the people.
7
@Arthur Taylor
Trump's critics start out on the moral high ground then quickly descend into the gutter when they realize no one cares what they think.
This appears to be a classic case projection on Mr. Brennan's part, as he grows increasingly hysterical in his effort to impugn the Trump campaign while evidence of direct CIA/FBI/DOJ malfeasance in the last election continues to trickle out.
If Mr. Brennan, et al. were so attuned and concerned about Russian perfidy and election tampering, why then did President Obama blithely state that there was zero chance our elections could be tampered with. And why didn't the DOJ alert the Trump campaign of these efforts instead of running undercover operatives at low level Trump campaign personnel in an effort to entrap them?
One can only imagine the energy the NYT would put into the story if it was a GOP president using its vast surveillance powers against a Democratic candidate.
One also wonders if Mr. Brennan has contemplated that perhaps he too has become an unwitting tool of Czar Vladimir, using his role as former Dir of CIA to hamstring the current administration.
4
If we're honest; the Judiciary is terminally politically polarized toward 45, the Congress is spineless, toothless, bought and paid-for AND the president is an amoral, shameless grifter.
Our ONLY hope is that American citizens will save themselves by voting en masse so,......we're probably doomed.
6
I join a grateful nation in thanking you, Sir, for your past and continuing service to our republic. You are a true American hero. Now more than ever we need our patriots to speak out, and I hope your example inspires courage in those who have yet to find their voices.
15
What a powerful and clearly written piece. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, concerns, and for acknowledging the contributions of the free press.
13
Can Brennan run for President?
5
Mr. Brennan is fearless which is an attribute sorely lacking in this political climate that has torn this country apart from policies to bigotry.
Trump's wiithdrawal of Mr. Brennan's security clearance was vindictive, a methodical card to be played when the time arises for yet another distraction.
It has been evident for decades Trump is a narcissist which encompasses the worst of human behavior. He functions with the primitive, reptilian part of the brain rather than the frontal lobe. He has no capacity for empathy, listening to opposing views, surrounds himself with like minded people. He is obsessed with exerting control. He is subject to being seduced by people he admires due to their absolute power something he feels entitled to due his delusion he has a higher IQ than his followers or the opposition. He is vindictive, a pathological liar, cruel and responds without thinking of repercussions. He lacks a conscience.
He is unfit for office. He has committed, in front of the world at Helsinki, an act of treason as Mr. Brennan's said.
The NYT should look into some of the responses to this article, they sound like Russian bots.
7
@rhdelp
Is that the new Democratic strategy to suppress free speech? Call everyone a "Russian bot" ?
With all due respect Mr. Brennan, Mueller's got this. Just let the process play out.
If Trump's claim of no collusion is such utter hogwash, you'd have already presented your evidence to Mueller and he will clear that up in due time. You seem to be sweating that. Don't you have confidence in Mueller?
Actually, an impending investigation of you could be the main reason for pulling your security clearances. If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear!
8
The Times headline is hogwash. Brennan’s comment was directed towards Russia meddling with the election, not whether Trump colluded with the Russians
4
@Ray It would seem your attention span was too short to allow you to read the opinion piece to its conclusion. Try the final two paragraphs. The headline is a direct quote from Brennan’s essay, and it succinctly summarizes what Brennan says.
It's clear Mr. Brennan failed to protect American citizens from Russian meddling. Why hasn't he been called out for his incompetence?
4
@It isn't working The GOP is fine with incompetence and apparently also with peculiar dealings with Russia. As a party, they don't criticize anything Trump does.
1
@Bonnie Who cares about the GOP or Trump supporters? They weren't in charge of the CIA. Brennan's job was to prevent meddling from happening and, if he is to be believed, he failed miserably.
If Russia was such a serious threat where was Obama? Last I heard he was mocking Romney for his cold war mindset...which Brennan has in spades.
7
@rpe123
That tit for tat rivalry at the level of rhetoric, this is at the level of Intelligence agency disembowelment.
1
Trump has been a Russian puppet for decades... it is time to remove the Russian puppet from the WH!
7
@antiquelt but a top Democrat with a Chinese spy in her corner for 2 decades isn't a puppet?
1
The Russians exploit ‘gullible and unprincipled individuals.’ It would be difficult to formulate a more accurate and more succinct description of Donald Trump and his motley entourage. No doubt the Russians saw these folks floundering and lurching through our Presidential election process, like drunken sailors on leave, and made themselves right at home among them.
‘If it’s what you say it is, I love it!’
‘Russia, if you’re listening...’
‘It was a meeting about adoptions...wait, no, it was about...’
No collusion? To quote our former President, the last intelligent principled man to occupy the Oval Office before the grifters and idiots rolled into town, ‘Aw, come on!’
4
The GOP has become the immoral equivalent of Vichy. And I don't mean the bottled water.
Americans either never learn or forget their 20th-century history. The Vichy "État Français," the rump state with nominal self-rule from the rout/defeat of 1940 until November 1942, when occupied by the Germans in the wake of the Allied invasion of North Africa, aided and abetted its occupier in looting France of food and resources. They also helped round up France's Jews before the Germans even asked.
The "silent" GOP is the immoral equivalent of this. They do nothing in the mounting evidence of treason and collusion in treason.
Money...and the acquisition of it by any means...are the sole value of the GOP and its titular head, Donald Trump. This is their "religious liberty." It's nothing more than a scam.
5
Dear President Trump,
As there was NO collusion, you should simmer down, have a burger or two and enjoy the rest of the summer on one of your golf courses ! Why? No brainer Mr President: With your continued calls for Mueller to finish his investigation - you in fact continue to build up doubt in American's minds...... As there was NO collusion, there is NOTHING for you to fear from the results of the investigation - or is there ?
And btw, you should get rid of SHS, every time she is on the podium she really makes you look bad.....
And this message comes from a true Trump supporter !
4
It's hard to believe a word John Brennan says. For those here calling him a "true patriot," remember, Brennan's the guy who led the illegal CIA torture program under Bush (and later Obama). When Dianne Feinstein discovered this and attempted to investigate, he broke into her computers, spied on her, and then later lied to Congress about it. He only "apologized" after being caught. He should have been fired, but wasn't. A CIA spook who can lie that openly to Congress has had much practice. This is your "true patriot"?
So what exactly is John Brennan hiding? He writes an op-ed claiming there was collusion between the president and Russia - yet continues to provide no evidence of this. Brennan is already suspected of forwarding the unverified dossier paid for by the Clinton campaign through security channels for political reasons in order to derail Trump's election. This sounds like his best "offense is the best defense" strategy, and we will learn much more about Brennan's involvement as calls to ramp up the investigation into bad players like Peter Sztrok & Co. pick up.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/31/cia-admits-spying-senate-s...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/31/cia-admits-spying-senate-s...
6
A paranoid and delusional president, desperate to deflect from the bad pr of Manafort and Omarosa and the revelation this president in a conspiracy with foreign operatives worked to deny the American People of a legitimate election. It is a disgrace and unAmerican that our president would enlist our ENEMY to subvert through conspiracy to win by fraud and treason.
6
Dear Mr. Brennan
How did the CIA let Russia do this to us? It was on their watch wasn't it? Has the CIA ever been involved in influencing the outcome of any election? Of our enemies? Of our allies? Of Russia's? Of our own? Can I ask you as an expert how much actual influence the Russians had over the election as compared to say the FBI?
It must have been easy under the Obama administration where the leadership signed off on anything they were told to. I was always under the impression that our government was run by it elected officials not it's bureaucracy. It must be difficult for such an expert like yourself to have a knuckle head like Trump tear down his life work. It's gotta hurt.
I really don't think elections are as illegitimate as you've been trying to sell us. Not because of Russia, the FBI the CIA the electoral college or whatever the media trots out to further divide the country. You do know your actions have been dividing the country since your retirement? Is that you're intent?
Thank You
Joe Guido
5
I am no fan of Trump, but I have to ask why shjould this guy (or any of the people threatened with loss of their clerance) continue to have a clearanmce when they are no longer governmnet employees? My Secret clearance ended when I left the Army. Why are they any different?
5
It’s not clearance (they get talked out when they leave); it’s actually a right to access.
These agencies rely on the advice of former directors and higher-ups, because of their depth of experience. That’s what Trump is ending. Another genius blow.
1
Right win . Keep fighting Mr. Brennan to remove this toxic cancer from the White House.
8
Mr. Brennan still has his integrity, and this failed president has none. There is a new very revealing book by Craig Unger: House of Trump, House of Putin, the Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia. Read the freebie pages in Amazon. The truth will come out!!
5
Mr. Brennan, when you were the director of the cia, did the US ever interfere with another country's elections or influence their citizens???
If the Russians did interfere as you said, what did you/we do to counter and prevent it????
This is all spy vs spy 101.......why are you crying about it now?????
6
I believe this was less an act to silence critics and more an act of raw presidential power to set the stage for the Mueller-related firings and/or pardons that are almost certainly to come. He has been successful in convincing "his people" that the probe is a witch hunt. He knows no anti-Trump folks will never come around and I believe he feels that he will take less of a hit with pardons than if the cases are carried to conclusion. A damning report will still be written and it this Congress it will fade away.
Thank God for clear-minded intelligence.
5
Thank you Sir. Keep speaking your truth as much as you are able given that you are limited in revealing sources since you take the job seriously unlike the vengeful leader in charge - G-d help us!
2
My man. Keep throwing those lead left hooks and right uppercuts at the ratpunk Trump, keep hammering--we did not take point at Normandy to liberate Western Europe in order to lose America to Trump's fascism, in our time. Rock on, John Brennan.
17
Sorry but you are nobody now. Without a security clearance, you are just some old guy who sounds like a crazy uncle at a BBQ.
4
No, he’s a guy who knows where the bodies are buried. Think Mark Felt.
2
@MPA
Well one article said 4 million people have these clearances, so probably wont feel too isolated. lol
As a Democratic Socialist, John Brennan is an inspiration!
In 1976, he was a member of the US Communist Party and now admits to having voted for Communist candidates. The fact that he later joined and directed the CIA just goes to show how open minded he is, and that no matter how deeply he worked in the bowels of our government’s security and intel arm, he probably always served first as an agent of the People, that global mass of proletariat workers who strive to destroy borders and distribute wealth.
He’s truly an ally of the left, and has been one for a very long time! And today, he continues the good fight against the America First Monsters.
Hopefully President Elizabeth Warren can bring him back to the CIA!
This administration needs to end with the sound of a cell door closing!
4
No, Mr. Brennan, the U.S. and it's C.I.A and F.B.I. is the greatest purveyors of the art of disception, disinformation, and misinformation. They perform it daily upon non-citizens and American citizens... especially American citizens every hour of everyday.
They use media, such as the, N.Y.T. to push their lies, each and everyday. Just like this article!
2 years of "Russian collusion" investigation's, non-stop media geared toward taking Trump down, and still, nothing! Are you kidding me?
The only Russian collusion that happened is being ignored. That's because the only Russian collusion was perpetrated by your own players. The D.N.C, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Obama, and his administration along with the same faces we keep seeing and hearing about in the emails.
The Steele dossier is a real peach that you people in the media will ignore untill you cannot ignore anymore.
Journalism is truly dead!
5
@Gary Hinson Pure Breitbart tripe. Without substance but expressed with hype. Best not believe journalism is dead, amigo. And don't believe stuff just because it fits your story or makes you feel better. Be careful what you wish for...
For such a tough guy, it's amusing to see that you've taken up the crybaby self-pity line of Hillary Clinton. Nobody is trying to silence you. You and Maxine Waters are perfectly free to travel the country calling President Trump names, crying over spilt milk, living in the past. You had your turn. It's Trump who you have tried to silence. You have called him a traitor for daring to reject your wild accusations. No doubt, like Rosy O'Donnell, you'd like martial law declared and Obama given a 3rd term. Enjoy your 1st amendment right to speak your mind, nobody is stopping you.
6
Thank you for your ongoing service Mr. Brennan! We so need your courage and integrity! Please do not stop in your efforts to expose this lying racist misogynist con man mobster.
7
Russia are all over democracies for very long time.Putin is the number one , manipulating all agencies, oligarchs and computer hackers to his desire. Nothing in Russia goes out without Putin’s consent. We all know for sure that Trump has direct connection with Russia , and financial issues. Putin plays well. He’s a perfect coward, bullies best qualification.This imbecile call president” ,has a disgusting ability to insult everyone here, and many leaders around the globe but never Putin , why? Muller knows . His arrogance,his ego and power will not stop with Brennan and other members of CIA, FBI. Now who is next ? Journalists? We need to act fast, before the destruction became normal. I never really imagine that the US, a powerful nation, would go do very low. His dangerous , narcissistic behavior, vengeful .The GOP, is dead, they’re not doing anything to prevent other bad action. Please Vote out our inside enemies. They are right here inside of this nation.
1
Trump’s numerous lies are being gradually debunked. The “no collusion”lie is teetering on the edge of being definitely disproven. All facts about Trump’s complicity in the conspiracy with Russia & others to put this lying, incompetent, immoral criminal in the Whit House will come to light soon. We must clear this filthy liar from our White House, hopefully in 2019.
5
It's so very odd. We have a president that, if he was not the president, could never in a million years get a security clearance.
Our country was attacked from a foreign hostile power and from Americans who worked with them. I can't wait for the day when Mr. Trump and his Crime Family are behind prison bars.
Thank you, Mr. Brennan, for standing up to our criminal, illegitimate president. I don't understand why world powers who were once our allies are still kowtowing to him. Ignore the Liar! He can't be trusted. He's an idiot. And he lies. The American People must begin the restoration of our country on November 6. Vote EVERY Republican out of office! If R's retain power, they'll be no stopping this evil fake president.
4
After this Watergate-on-steroids is over, John Brennan will be remembered as one of the first heroes who had the guts to speak out and speak truth, unlike the RussianRepublicans traitors.
Hey GOP, it’s time to decide: is that how you want to go down in history? As treasonous and unpatriotic? As the ones who are bringing this county down for a few rubles?
Thank you NYT and Mr. Brennan for using our (still) free press. Put it all out there while you still can.
15
Trump gets up in the morning and retaliates against external stimuli like one of Pavlov's dogs. Yesterday it was Mr Brennan. Who today, Mueller, Omarosa, Stormy Daniels? Wait and see.
7
So you knew, and Comey knew, and Obama knew, and you did nothing to stop it. You all assumed Hillary would win, possibly even shared her bewilderment for not being up 40 points in the polls, and yet you decided to let the chips fall where they fell. I know he is lying is not proof of anything. Please tell us sir, how Russia helped Trump beat 18 other Republican candidates. What did Russia do to collude against Rubio and Cruz and Bush? Was it as effective as the DNC's efforts against Bernie Sanders? The Russians goal was not to aid Trump, but to seed division among American people. The Times and other media outlets have shown us the Facebook ads they purchased and created. They have exposed the efforts of Cambridge Analytica. What was your agency and the FBI and the NSA doing to counter these ads? OOPS! I forgot. You created advanced hacking tools that somehow fell into the wrong hands. Thanks guys!!! The pawns the Russians have been using are the very people who were supposed to be protecting us. You were chief among them.
7
At last, a man who writes op-eds in paragraphs!
2
So I assume Brennan is denying he gave the fake dossier to,Harry Reid? Doesn’t he know the CIA isn’t supposed to spy on Americans? Perhaps he can explain his secret meeting in Russia in March 2016. Perhaps he can explain his part in the Iran deal. Perhaps he can explain his failure as station chief in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps he can explain why he did nothing about Russian hacking after he knew about it. Go back to being a hack on CNN.
2
Again, no substance from Brennan. He's CIA director who says he has "insight" but has never presented one bit of evidence. If his awareness now is "reporting from a free press" he has learned more? Dalliances? FBI and CIA orchestrated the collusion. HRC, DNC, Fusion GPS, Steele Dossier, Trump Tower "setup", FBI Bruce and Nellie Ohr, FISA... those "dalliances" were all DNC, FBI and CIA digging for info FROM THE RUSSIANS on Trump, and failing at it. Trump's off-the-cuff "Hey Russia, if you're listening, maybe you can find the 30,000 emails..." was referring to emails that HRC BLEACH BIT wiped from her illegal and subpoena'd email server. It was a tongue and cheek swipe at Hillary, not a call to Russia. He was basically saying "look, you probably already hacked Hillary's illegal server months or years ago, maybe you have the emails." The deception of Brennan and othe others to cover up their failed sting operation is breathtaking. Even the Manafort/Gates financial case is not at all related to the election, but Brennan doesn't point that out. Talk about dishonest slight of hand from Brennan.
6
You need to get past HRC. Congress investigated your charges relentlessly, and found no punishable crimes. Get over it. The evidence of djt's wrong doing is out in the open as mr. Brennan points out. It's just now congress wants to ignore to get their tax cuts for the rich
3
Is there a manual you folks get? Because you all regurgitate the exact same points in the exact same order. It’s like you lack independent agency.
1
Sounds like you are admitting that you and James Comey conspired.
5
@Lee Irvine- conspired to thwart an adversary, not conspired to help them elect a particular candidate of Russia's choice. Significant difference.
Mr. Brennan, you realize that you have zero credibility for several reasons. First, you lied to congress when you stated that intelligence agencies did not collect information on USA citizens. Second, you were involved with the use of the Steele Dossier (unsupported, unverified, paid for by Clinton operatives) to start the Russian Collusion Investigation. Third, you and your co-conspirators allowed Clinton to destroy 33,000 subpoenaed emails with zero consequences. The list goes on, and on.
You and your co-conspirators are getting the purge you so richly deserve. I only hope that investigations into the actions of you and your co-conspirators get launched after the November elections. Then we can all see just how squeaky-clean, ethical, and patriotic you all really have been.
Good riddance to bad rubbish Mr. Brennan, good riddance.
2
Ex-CIA director under the Obama admin and past card carrying member of the American communist party has been a vocal critic of Trump since the start. Something no past director of ANY past admin has ever done. He also is a regular contributor on MSNBC and always is ripping Trump on that network that hates Trump. Now he is writing an op-ed for the NYT, a publication that hates Trump, bashing Trump and saying there was collusion despite two years of a sham investigation that has thus far proven no collusion at all. Today 300 newspapers worked in unison to say they are not the enemy of Trump. They coordinated their "news" together.
And the left wonders why Trump calls the media fake news? And the media wonders why Trump uses Twitter to call them his enemy? Really? There is obviously no Russian collusion despite two pathetic years of trying to prove it exists but there is clearly evidence of total media bias. THAT is a fact.
No go ahead leftist haters and comment back all you want but I already know I am right and unlike a majority of those who will reply to me, I have a job that I need to get to because I am a producer and you are not. That is why you can sit and hysterically comment all day but I will never see them. How sad...for you.
7
Brennan oversaw the manhunt for Osama bin Laden who killed over 3000 Americans on September 11, 2001. Trump is trying to dismantle our democracy for his master, Vladimir Putin. I know which American that I support as a true patriot, John Brennan!
2
Brennan has lost his mind. A lifelong cia employee would never act like this. He is acting like a child. Plus, this is clearly slander and is violating a boat load of laws. And he turned this op around in a few hours? Looking forward to him sitting next to Omarosa on the next cnn panel.
7
So you think he isn’t a lifelong CIA employee? Your statement is puzzling.
@Pilot Is it against the law in Texas for a person to state his opinion publicly? I know Texas is way different, but I thought the Constitution still had some respect there?
1
Thank GOD for John Brennan.
Hopefully, fake-president trump will be behind bars, soon
12
That's a lot of words and some bold claims, but no evidence. When did the Times start peddling so heavily in unsubstantiated conspiracy theories?
6
Trump continues to circle the wagons, but the noose is growing tighter every day.
5
Robert Mueller: please hurry.
8
Mr Brennan, please, run for POTUS in 2020. We need you.
2
Thank you John Brennan. You give me so much hope.
If I know one thing, Americans are not easily bullied...especially by the wannabe dictator currently living in the White House.
Thank You for your continued courage.
17
Brennan abused his power at the CIA to spy on Senators and was instrumental in spreading the phony dossier, prepared by a foreign national (collusion?), that led to the illegal FISA warrant against Carter Page, a backdoor way for the Obama administration to spy on the Trump campaign. Brennan then lied to Congress about the dossier’s role in the FISA warrant application.
Brennan is also a communist. He proudly voted for Gus Hall for president, which should have disqualified him from serving in the CIA in the first place.
Above all else, Brennan is a small minded hypocrite. Here he is complaining about non-existent Trump campaign collusion with Russia, yet look at his vile and illegal behavior in spying on his political opponents and attempting to derail the Trump campaign. Welcome to the dustbin of history Mr. Brennan, you are truly a disgrace to your country.
2
Not understanding why Mr. Brennan's opinion is newsworthy.
But I'm just an average Joe not an editor what do I know.
Right?
4
Right. Not much.
1
"His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it." Sound like the modus operandi of a prominent current American political leader whose favorite platform is the tweet? Actually this is an exact quote from a report prepared during World War II by the United States Office of Strategic Services (predecessor to the C.I.A.) in describing Hitler's psychological profile.
10
Director Brennan we respectfully thank you for your long service and wise public statements against tyranny - we have a dishonest, vulgar , undignified racist President interested in being only self serving and patriotic only toward Putin-he should be impeached for abuse of power, behavior reeking of treason and financial crimes- abuse of children must not be forgotten - when will GOP acquire some Patriotism ?
10
Thank you, Mr. Brennan. After 19 months of sickening fake patriotism from the Fool in the White House and his delusional supporters it is so good to see some real patriotism.
13
I’d love to see a Dem ticket of Eliz W and this guy. He’d be a great force against what Putin is doing to our country.
2
I still don't quite get it: if you knew so much about Russian collusion, why didn't you stop it? And if Comey knew so much, how could he have done what he did before the election? He acted like a Russian puppet himself?
Just to be clear: I'm not some Trumpite troll. I detest this administration. But all of your claims now are made suspect by your, and Comey's, seeming incompetence 2 years ago.
8
They told President Obama, President Obama went to Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell and they told him to get lost. They told him that they’d say that he was trying to influence the election.
He should have gone public with it anyway, and he agrees.
2
You need a congress that is willing to do its job.
2
Last night I saw a PBS documentary on the 60's to the end of the Vietnam war. I was born in NYC and attended NYU Journalism school. I also grew up during these powerful earth-shattering times in history.
I cried when I finished viewing those years. Why? Because I saw an America torn apart by a war of lies and sending our young men off to die. I lived watching JFK, MLK, RFK, Malcom X be murdered and I saw millions of Americans take to the streets at the risk of death and violence to stop this madness.
This is not a killing fields war we have now built on lies.
This is the greatest crisis America has ever faced in its entire history. A tall tower built by a conman/ madman on lies, daily lies, hatred, and threatening everything most Americans believe in and fought for, died for, all through history. Now we lock small children in cages! We take down the press daily calling it all fake news. We have a totally spineless GOP that just turns in silence to hold on to their power. This is fascism brought to us by KING TRUMP!
Why are the streets empty and silent? What has happened to us? Is this not worth marching to the door of the WH whose door is now stained and blackened by LIES?
Just what will bring him down with his evil henchmen? And how long will it take, how many decades, until we can recover our dignity and sanity once more?
I wonder. I'm sickened by the second and every day feel like 100 years of devastation. VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RESIST!!!!!!!!!
14
John Brennan – as I’ve said to James Comey several times in comments – go write and sell your book and take a well-deserved rest...
You served for decades for a wage that – given your role and responsibility – should make Bernie and Kamala want to push through a big raise for you...
Don’t take my word for it...
https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2013/02/21/13-questions-john-o-brennan/
America – being the exceptional country that it is – has hundreds of citizens less than half your age and more than 10X your net worth, who labored in your world...
But the commercial – monetizable – part of it...
Make an app that makes pictures disappear (yeah...right) and collect 10X the total amount that Manafort allegedly stole over a career – year after year...
The cruel irony...
With your wisdom and experience – you pen succinct and spellbinding narrative...
But – it isn’t objective...
It’s not ideologically-biased, either...
It’s prosecutorial...
It – like the NYT – omits adroitly...
If you all would only come a bit more open and clean on what the Russians did to prefer Jill Stein and what aspect of our meddling so vexed Putin, respectively...
We could all just move on...
Would be more convinced than ever that we were the good guys – including you, of course...
Am dead serious...
Spot on, Mr. Brennan.
"Witch hunts" do not procure criminal charges, multiple guilty pleas, and (soon) a jury verdict that lands the first of these corrupt, immoral, money-grubbing thugs and idiots in prison.
6
You do know that Hillary destroyed public property when she erased her emails the bleach bitted the hard drives, right? Who cares who finds the emails? We want to know what nefarious acts she was hiding....
3
@Morgan The Clintons have both been investigated at huge expense to the taxpayers, for years. Nothing has been found about them that comes near the kind of thing Trump does casually, like give Israeli intelligence secrets to Russian officials, in the Oval Office. He also carelessly blabbed about North Korea at Mar a Lago, where the other diners could hear him. Why is that supposed to be OK?
1
@Morgan, right- I'll tell you what's nefarious, and that's the fact that you and those of your ilk are more than willing to allow an adversary to help elect your candidate by influencing our election process and targeting another candidate from a different party. It's absolutely un-American, and history will not be kind to you and yours.
1
This is how you take on Donald Trump. Don't go down his rabbit holes and punch...hard
2
The illogic of Brennan and the NYT knows no bounds.
Brennan spies on Americans by collecting metadata and then perjures himself in front of Congress.
Brennan spies on journalist.
Brennan spies on the Senate intelligence because they were investigating his abuse of power spying on Americans.
Brennan asserted the Russians are blackmailing Trump without providing a shred of proof.
He has abused his authority as a senior intelligence leader in this country. Had he been a republican, the NYT would have sought his removal. The hypocricy is a joke. Long ago the NYT would have stood for the Americans, Congressmen and journalists illegally spied on. But because Brennan despises Trump, those things will be overlooked. And you wonder why the public distrusts the media.
9
@Elliot:
Good God. maybe do your homework. Brennan is a Republican.
We have a #MeToo movement where individuals are standing up against others that threaten their jobs while sexual harassing. Isn’t this the same - but just without the sex. This time demanding silence - or false praise in order to keep a security clearance. What method did the pedophile priests use to keep the children quiet?
1
He revoked your clearance because you are biased (clearly) and politically motivated. We have a special counsel investigating possible crimes and he will determine what is hogwash. You aren't a martyr, and your animus for Trump seeps through your thinly veiled boy scout act.
2
John Brennan is an American patriot. James Clapper is an American patriot. Michael Hayden is an American patriot. Sally Yates is an American patriot. Andrew McCabe is an American patriot.
Paul Manafort is a Traitor. Michael Flynn is a Traitor. Rick Gates is a Traitor. Sean Hannity is a Traitor. DONALD TRUMP IS A TRAITOR.
4
Now that his Security Clearance has been revoked, Mr. Brennan is free to disclose anything/everything he knows about Trump's use of Russian resources to win the election.
Far more disturbing is the high percentage of Trump voters who think it's perfectly OK for the Russians to interfere when it helps their candidate defeat an opposition candidate.
Welcome to Neo Nazi Amerika...
18
If you have proof then put it forward and stand back. I have never seen someone with such a high level of security clearance go out of their way to undermine an administration. You have lied repeatedly to Congress (spying on them) and the American people and now accept money to lower our standing in the world (yes, you make it worse) all for backslaps at cocktail parties in Georgetown. You have embarrassed your fellow intelligence community with your temper tantrums and your unprofessionalism. Your innuendos of treason, collusion and such are beyond the pale for an Ex CIO Director. Shame on you!!
3