President Donald Trump released a statement on Wednesday outlining why he revoked former CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance.
Trump said Brennan's access and the benefits that could come of it were "outweighed by the risks posed by his erratic conduct and behavior." It also says Brennan "recently leveraged his status as a former high-ranking official with access to highly sensitive information to make a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations — wild outbursts on the internet and television — about this Administration."
The statement goes on to point to events during Brennan's tenure that it says "calls into question his objectivity and credibility." That includes in 2014, when he denied the CIA was surveilling congressional staffers only to admit it was happening and apologize for it later.
Brennan, a fierce critic of the Trump administration, responded on Twitter, saying: "This action is part of a broader effort by Mr. Trump to suppress freedom of speech & 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."
