The commander who oversaw the 2011 Navy SEAL raid that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden says he’d consider it “an honor” for President Donald Trump to revoke his security clearance.
Retired Navy Admiral William McRaven, in an opinion piece framed as a letter to the president, and posted by the Washington Post, said he knows and admires former CIA Director John Brennan, whose security clearance was pulled yesterday, and stands with him.
“He is a man of unparalleled integrity, whose honesty and character have never been in question, except by those who don’t know him,” McRaven wrote.
“Therefore, I would consider it an honor if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.”
McRaven said he’d hoped when Trump was elected, he would “rise to the occasion and become the leader this great nation needs.”
But he lamented that Trump “has shown little of these qualities” that define a good leader, including setting a good example and putting the welfare of others before yourself.
“Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation,” he wrote, vowing, “The criticism will continue until you come the leader we prayed you would be.”
Along with revoking Brennan’s security clearance, the White House said it was reviewing access to classified information for several other former government officials who have been critical of Trump, including former FBI Director James Comey, former National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, among others.
In a February speech at the University of Texas, McRaven said Trump calling the media the "enemy of the people" “may be the greatest threat to democracy in my lifetime.”
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