President Trump never revoked former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance.
The president announced in August that Brennan’s security clearance was being stripped due to “erratic behavior” that disqualified him from having access to sensitive information.
But the White House never followed through with the complicated bureaucratic process of revocation, a source told the New York Times.
A CIA spokesperson declined to comment, telling the Washington Examiner the agency does not discuss individual security clearances. The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
The revelation comes after Trump gave Attorney General William Barr “full and complete authority to declassify information” related to the origins of the federal investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. A day later, it was reported the order could put at risk a key CIA informant who provided information about the Kremlin’s role in interfering in the 2016 election.
Barr, who asked the White House for the new power, has been reviewing the counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign for weeks. Barr tasked U.S. Attorney John Durham with reviewing the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation and says he is working closely with Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act abuse investigation. Republican allies of Trump say information could soon come out that will show misconduct by Brennan and other former Obama administration leaders.
Although it was widely believed he had lost his clearance, Brennan has on occasion visited Capitol Hill to brief Democrats on national security matters.
