The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website August 16, 2018:
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a statement from President Trump revoking ex-CIA director John Brennan’s security clearance on Aug. 15. (Reuters)
President Trump says that although he has never obstructed justice in the Russia investigation, he does “fight back.”
And, as of Wednesday, he had “fought back” against a majority of top officials involved in leading, overseeing or making administration decisions about that probe. According to an analysis by The Washington Post, of the more than a dozen officials with what could be construed as leadership roles in the investigation, more than half have been fired and/or threatened with official recourse.
The most recent examples were the White House’s revocation of former CIA director John Brennan’s security clearance Wednesday and the threats to do the same for nine other current and former officials who have run afoul of Trump. In one fell swoop, the White House effectively more than doubled its enemies list — and served notice that ex-officials who were involved in the probe will not be permitted to criticize Trump willy-nilly.