Maybe Trump hasn't actually revoked John Brennan's security clearance after all

John Brennan is confused about his security clearance status

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/MSNBC)

On Tuesday, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley assured The Washington Post that President Trump really has revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan. "The president's order went into effect immediately, and Mr. Brennan no longer has access to classified information," he said.

But the Post notes that "no formal direction was sent from the White House to the CIA ordering it to terminate his clearance and revoke any privileges that came with it," and a senior White House official told the newspaper, without elaborating, that the paperwork to revoke Brennan's clearance has been "delayed." CIA Press Secretary Timothy Barrett told the Post that "the CIA does not comment on individual security clearances."

The topic came up because on MSNBC earlier Tuesday, Brennan said he hasn't received any notification about his security clearance either way. "Ordinarily, when a U.S. official's security clearance is revoked, the agency or department that holds that clearance explains the grounds for its action," the Post explains. "The clearance holder may be given a chance to appeal the decision and argue that the revocation was unjustified." The only news he has gotten about his own clearance was when White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced it had been revoked on TV, he told MSNBC. "I've not been contacted by anybody at all either before or since then. So whether or not my clearance has been stripped, I'm still uncertain about."

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"Given that I think everybody believes that the rationale for stripping me of my clearance is bogus," Brennan suggested, "I'm sure there are some people who are scratching their head right now who maybe have to put together the memorandum to say why I was stripped of my clearances, other than the fact that Mr. Trump might not like me, which is not a valid reason."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.