A dozen former American intelligence leaders have criticized US President Donald Trump for revoking security clearance of former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief, John Brennan.
Trump removed on Wednesday the ability for the former CIA director to access sensitive government information, citing the Russia investigation as the reason behind the decision.
In a statement on Friday, 12 former CIA chiefs, representing previous Republican and Democratic administrations, denounced Trump’s move as “an attempt to stifle free speech.”
The former US security officials said they felt “compelled” to respond to the “unprecedented” decision by the US president and branded as “baseless” allegations leveled against Brennan.
“We all agree that the president’s action regarding John Brennan and the threats of similar action against other former officials has nothing to do with who should and should not hold security clearances – and everything to…