In July 2019, President Trump announced the Plan to take away the Security Clearance of the former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James B. Comey, he had Not done the Homework to discover Comey No longer had One.
The Administration accelerated in July 2019 when the White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said that the Administration was considering Revoking the Clearances of: John O. Brennan, the C.I.A. Director under President Barack Obama; Michael V. Hayden, who was a CIA Director under President George W. Bush; and others.
But attempts petered out, hampered by Aides who Slow-Rolled the President and by Justice Department Officials who fought Trump, warning he was jeopardizing National Security.
So the White House never followed through with the Complex Bureaucratic Work it would have taken to Strip the Clearance.
This year, after Coats and Gina Haspel, the current CIA Director, offered Assessments of the Threat from Iran and North Korea at Odds with Trump’s Messaging, he unleashed a Barrage of Attacks on Twitter, suggesting they go back to school.
Ms. Haspel has been careful to cultivate a good Relationship with both Trump and Attorney General Barr. But the latest Inquiry Trump Requested Barr to perform, will test her ability to stay in the good graces of her Bosses, and the Rank and File.
Former Officials said if Trump was intent on calling out Individual Intelligence Officers as he has with the FBI, Ms. Haspel would face an Outcry. “What the leadership should do is say, ‘I am vouching for the information. If there is a problem, the problem is with me,’” said John Sipher, a former C.I.A. Officer.
If Ms. Haspel Shares the Identities of CIA Informants Outside the Agency and the Information Leaks, she will Lose Credibility within the CIA.
“This is a president who will lash out and destroy anything if he believes it will suit his interests,” said Representative Adam B. Schiff (D-CA, 28th District) and the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. “And he now has a capable lieutenant in the attorney general to help him do just that.”
Schiff predicted that both Coats and Ms. Haspel would Defend the Integrity of their Agencies against any Attacks by the White House or give up their Posts like Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
“If it gets to a point they are asked to do things that are unlawful or jeopardize the men and women that work within the Intelligence Community, they should speak out,” Schiff said, “and, if necessary, follow the example of Secretary Mattis.”
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
