"don't doubt that after the clearances are done he'll move on to other ways to use the government"

[mahatmakanejeeves]

ProveItHat Retweeted:

As Trump works on his list of his strongest critics to have their clearances stripped, don't doubt that after the clearances are done he'll move on to other ways to use the government to target them. This should bother you. A lot. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-gears-up-to-strip-more-clearances-from-officials-tied-to-russia-probe/2018/08/16/341fe418-a165-11e8-93e3-24d1703d2a7a_story.html …

Link to tweet

Politics

Trump gears up to strip more clearances from officials tied to Russia investigation

By David Nakamura, Reporter
Josh Dawsey, White House reporter

August 17 at 7:03 AM

President Trump has told advisers that he is eager to strip more security clearances as part of an escalating attack against people who have criticized him or played a role in the investigation of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, two White House officials said.

Over the past 19 months, Trump has fired or threatened to take action against nearly a dozen current and former officials associated with the inquiry, which he has labeled a “rigged witch hunt,” including former FBI director James B. Comey, former deputy attorney general Sally Yates and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe. All three were dismissed.

Trump intensified his attacks this week by stripping former CIA director John Brennan of his security clearance and announcing that others are under review. Brennan and former director of national intelligence James R. Clapper Jr., who is on Trump’s review list, were among the Obama administration officials who briefed Trump before his inauguration on evidence of Russia’s interference in the campaign.... The president has repeatedly urged Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other officials to end the investigation led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is examining potential collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign and whether the president has sought to obstruct justice.

To critics, Trump’s moves echo President Richard Nixon’s decision to force the abrupt firing of Watergate special counsel Archibald Cox. ... “If you did all this in one day, it would have a ‘Saturday night massacre’ odor to it,” said Benjamin Wittes, a Brookings Institution fellow who oversees the Lawfare Blog on national security issues, referring to the 1973 move by Nixon that prompted resignations by the Justice Department’s top two officials. “But you spread it out and get people used to the first one, then you do the second one — over a long period of time, it becomes the new normal.”
....

John Wagner and Karoun Demirjian contributed to this report.

David Nakamura covers the White House. He has previously covered sports, education and city government and reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Japan. Follow https://twitter.com/davidnakamura

Josh Dawsey is a White House reporter for The Washington Post. He joined the paper in 2017. He previously covered the White House for Politico, and New York City Hall and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for the Wall Street Journal. Follow https://twitter.com/jdawsey1

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

1. It's wrong in so many ways...

Pres.Obama kept Bushes military people and worked w what he had. He tried to build coalitions in our govt to benefit US...Not himself. And, he was a highly educated gentleman who understood politics and thinking about next week. The guys who would arrest him are getting annihilated. We need movement from some patriots NOW before all the key people are gone and replaced w paid boot lickers. What a fucker.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

2. In 80 days, 5 hours, 8 minutes and 42 seconds

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE