Sunday shows preview: Trump stokes intel feud over clearances

President Trump’s decision to revoke the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan will take center stage this Sunday as Brennan and several former intelligence officials battle Trump surrogates on the weekend news shows.

Trump’s move Wednesday to revoke the clearance for Brennan, a vocal critic of the president, sent shockwaves through Washington and led to accusations that the president was trying to retaliate against those who speak out against him.

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A collection of former intelligence officials including CIA directors dating back to the 1980s condemned the move in a letter this week, while the Trump administration has indicated that other former officials are currently under review to have their clearances revoked.

The White House has defended the move by accusing Brennan and other former officials of “monetiz[ing] their public service and security clearances.” Brennan denied the claims, calling the decision part of a “broader effort by Mr. Trump to suppress freedom of speech & punish critics.”

Brennan will appear this Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” while fellow former CIA Director Michael Hayden and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper will appear on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Both Hayden and Clapper signed the letter condemning Trump’s decision to punish Brennan this week.

Lisa Monaco, a former homeland security adviser to the Obama administration, will also appear on CNN this weekend, while Trump White House national security adviser John Bolton will appear on ABC’s “This Week.”

Also making a rare Sunday show appearance this week is a member of Pennsylvania’s Catholic Church, Bishop Lawrence Persico, who will face questions over a grand jury report that found six Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses had allegedly protected hundreds of “predator priests” and covered up more than 1,000 victims of sexual abuse and molestation.

Here’s the full Sunday show lineup:

NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Former CIA Director John Brennan, Bishop Lawrence Persico.

“Fox News Sunday”: White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen.

CBS’s “Face the Nation”: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), Democratic congressional candidate Jennifer Wexton (Va.).

CNN’s “State of the Union”: Former DNI James Clapper, former CIA Director Michael Hayden, former White House homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco, Gov. Steve Bullock (D-Mont.), Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.).

ABC’s “This Week”: White House national security adviser John Bolton.