John Kerry blasts Trump’s decision to revoke Brennan’s clearance

Former Secretary of State John Kerry blasted President Trump for revoking former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance.

Kerry, a frequent Trump critic, accused the president of putting “petty politics ahead of patriotism.”

“This is putting personal petty politics ahead of patriotism and national security, end of story,” Kerry tweeted. “You expect this banana republic behavior in the kind of countries that the State Department warns Americans not to travel to, but not at home in the USA.”

This is putting personal petty politics ahead of patriotism and national security, end of story. You expect this banana republic behavior in the kind of countries that the State Department warns Americans not to travel to, but not at home in the USA. https://t.co/5f0pVSuHnd

— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) August 15, 2018

Reading a statement from Trump, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Wednesday that Brennan’s clearance was being revoked.

{mosads}Trump said that the move was necessary to protect national security. Former national security officials typically keep their clearances so that they can advise and counsel their successors.

The president accused Brennan of using his status as a former top official to launch “unfounded and outrageous” attacks on his administration.

“Mr. Brennan’s lying and recent conduct characterized by increasingly frenzied commentary is wholly inconsistent with access to the nation’s most closely held secrets and facilities, the very aim of our adversaries, which is to sow division and chaos,” Trump said.

In addition to Brennan, Trump is considering revoking the clearance of a number of other former top officials who have been critical of Trump.