Brennan put out in the cold by Trump

Donald Trump has revoked the security clearance of former CIA chief and critic John Brennan.

John Brennan said the pulling of his security clearance should worry all Americans. Picture: AP

Donald Trump has revoked the security clearance of former CIA chief and critic John Brennan, warning that other national sec­urity opponents may be also be stripped of clearances.

In a move aimed at punishing his most outspoken national sec­urity critics, the US President named a list of former intelligence, FBI and Obama administration officials whose continued access to classified information would be reviewed.

These include the recently sacked FBI agent Peter Strzok and his former FBI lover Lisa Page, former director of national intelligence James Clapper and former CIA director Michael Hayden.

Mr Trump said the security clearance of Mr Brennan, CIA director from 2013 to last year, needed to be revoked in view of his recent “erratic conduct and behaviour”.

“First, at this point in my ­administration, any benefits that senior officials might glean from consultations with Mr Brennan are now outweighed by the risk posed by his erratic conduct and behaviour,” he said in a statement read by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

“Second, that conduct and behaviour has tested and far exceeded the limits of any professional courtesy that may have been due to him.

“Mr Brennan has a history that calls into question his objectivity and credibility.”

Later, he linked the decision to the special counsel’s investigation into Russia election meddling and possible ties to his campaign.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr Trump pointed to Mr Brennan as one of the people he believes is responsible for special counsel Robert Muller’s investigation. Mr Trump called the investigation a “rigged witch hunt ... a sham”. “And these people led it,” he declared.

Mr Brennan said the action was “part of a broader effort by Mr Trump to “suppress freedom of speech and punish critics”.

“It should gravely worry all Americans, including intelligence professionals, about the cost of speaking out. My principles are worth far more than clearances. I will not relent,” he tweeted.

The day before, Mr Brennan denounced the President on Twitter after he described former White House aide-turned-critic Omarosa Manigault Newman as a “crazed crying low-life” and a “dog”.

“Its astounding how often you fail to live up to the minimum standards of decency, civility and probity,” he tweeted. “Seems like you will never understand what it means to be president, nor what it takes to be a good, decent and honest person. So disheartening, so dangerous for our nation.”

Mr Brennan’s relationship with Mr Trump has been fraught since the President assumed ­office in January last year but it worsened after last month’s Helsinki summit between Mr Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr Trump was furious when Mr Brennan described his press conference performance as treasonous and imbecilic, and showed he was in the pocket of Mr Putin.

Yesterday’s decision follows a threat made by Mr Trump last month to examine clearances of key intelligence and law enforcement figures. That list included former FBI director James Comey, former deputy ­director Andrew McCabe and former nat­ional security adviser Susan Rice.

It has now been expanded to include former acting attorney-general Sally Yates and former Justice Department official Bruce Ohs, as well as Mr Strzok and Ms Page, who swapped anti-Trump texts despite his role as a key investigator in the Hillary Clinton email and Russia probes.

The decision to revoke Mr Brennan’s clearance was made by the President. National Director of Intelligence Dan Coats was not consulted.

Mr Comey and Mr McCabe have said already they no longer had clearances while Mr Clapper said he had not used his since he resigned in January last year.

Mr Clapper said Mr Trump’s announcement was “unprecedented” and a political attempt to infringe on the right of former national security officials to criticise the President. He said the fact the White House removed Mr Brennan’s clearance rather than the CIA proved it was a political decision unrelated to intelligence or national security.

General Hayden, CIA director from 2006 to 2009, tweeted “with regard to the implied threat today that I could lose my clearance, that will have no impact on what I think, say and write”.

Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia