Retired admiral resigned from Pentagon advisory committee after writing open letter to Trump

Retired Adm. William McRaven, former head of Special Operations Command, resigned from the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Board last month after asking President Trump to revoke his security clearance.

Defense News first reported McRaven’s exit Thursday and the Pentagon confirmed to CNN that he resigned four days after publishing his op-ed. 

In his editorial for The Washington Post, McRaven tore into the president for revoking the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, calling Brennan “one of the finest public servants I have ever known.”

{mosads}”Therefore, I would consider it an honor if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency,” McRaven wrote. 

Brennan and Trump had clashed repeatedly prior to the president pulling his clearance as well as after.

At points, some intelligence chiefs have said Brennan has gone too far.

“John is an extraordinary servant of the country, but I think he has been incredibly critical of the president and I think that has put him in a political place which actually does more damage for the intelligence community, which is apolitical, even as he’s retired,” Adm. Mike Mullen told “Fox News Sunday” last month.

He was joined by former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, one of the president’s frequent critics. 

“John and his rhetoric have become an issue in and of itself,” former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told CNN’s “State of the Union” last month.

Clapper’s comments were in response to an op-ed Brennan penned saying Trump colluded with Russia in his 2016 campaign, despite presenting no evidence Trump had done so.