If we believe the rhetoric that President Trump’s critics regularly advance, the First Amendment is under assault by the White House. Former CIA Director John Brennan has argued that, through Trump’s revocation of Brennan’s security clearance, Trump deprived him of the applicable constitutional protections. Soon after losing the benefit, a letter from many more government security officials agreed with Brennan’s characterization calling the action by the president, “an attempt to stifle free speech.”
Despite these alarms from those in the intelligence community, and the “never Trump” pundits on the cable news shows, there is no need to panic. The free speech argument they advance is hardly intelligent. Moreover, it is completely ridiculous. If anything, having a security clearance is a hindrance, because government agencies review and approve any commentary authored by those who hold such clearances.
The power move by the president, and the likely additional clearance removals to come, is completely within his authority. Further, the action elevated Brennan’s profile and provided an even greater platform for his ongoing criticism of President Trump — hardly silencing him.
It is truly concerning that so many government officials have voiced outage citing that Brennan’s First Amendment rights were in any way compromised. In the hours after losing his security clearance, Brennan appeared on many cable news programs and published an op-ed in the Sunday edition of The New York Times. These forums gave Brennan — someone who claimed the president is guilty of treason — and his message an opportunity to influence millions of people.
AAN Staff
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