WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 12: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for the director of the CIA, Rep.Mike Pompeo(R-KS) attends his confirmation hearing before the Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee on January 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. Mr. Pompeo is a former Army officer who graduated first in his class from West Point. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson participates in a news conference with Ethiopia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Workneh Gebeyehu, after their meeting, Thursday, March 8, 2018 in in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP) Gina Haspel, center, speaks to Jared Kushner before a meeting between Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman at the Pentagon in March 2017. WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 23: Former Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan testifies before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill, May 23, 2017 in Washington, DC. Brennan is discussing the extent of Russia's meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible ties to the campaign of President Donald Trump. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Brennan: Trump is trying to get back at me WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 23: Former Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan testifies before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill, May 23, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) US President Donald Trump speaks as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and US Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan look on during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on August 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) (CNN) — Sixty former CIA officials warned President Donald Trump in a statement on Friday that “the country will be weakened if there is a political litmus test applied before seasoned experts are allowed to share their views.” The letter, which comes after Trump’s decision to revoke former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance, was signed by former CIA officials who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations in positions such as analysts, senior analysts and officers. It adds to a growing outcry against the President’s recent action and comes after more than a dozen former senior intelligence officials denounced the move as “ill-considered” and “unprecedented” in a separate statement. “All of us believe it is critical to protect classified information from unauthorized disclosure,” reads the statement from the former CIA officials. “But we believe equally strongly that former government officials have the right to express their unclassified views on what they see as critical national security issues without fear of being punished for doing so.” The statement goes on to say, “Our signatures below do not necessarily mean that we concur with the opinions expressed by former Director Brennan or the way in which he expressed them. What they do represent, however, is our firm belief that the country will be weakened if there is a political litmus test applied before seasoned experts are allowed to share their views.” The President announced his decision to revoke Brennan’s clearance on Wednesday and accused the former CIA chief, who has been a prominent critic of Trump, of “lying” and giving “increasingly frenzied commentary,” which the President described as “wholly inconsistent with access to the nation’s most closely held secrets.” Later, however, Trump connected his move to strip Brennan’s security clearance to the Russia investigation during an interview with the Wall Street Journal, saying the probe was a “witch hunt” and “these people led it.” The President has said he is considering revoking the security clearances of other individuals as well. CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi contributed to this report.<doc-sep>In an unprecedented show of support, 15 top former intelligence officials have signed a letter backing former CIA Director John Brennan whose security clearance was revoked by the White House earlier this week. The group of former CIA directors, CIA deputy directors and Director of National Intelligence called the move "ill-considered" and said the threat of additional removals are not based on security concerns but have "everything to do with an attempt to stifle free speech." Brennan has drawn President Trump's ire for his vocal criticism of the President and his policies. The White House announced earlier this week that Brennan's national security clearance had been revoked because he "recently leveraged his status with access to highly sensitive information to make a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations, wild outbursts on the internet and television about this administration." White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also said President Trump was considering removing the national security clearances of other former intelligence officials who have been critical of his presidency. The move has united a who's who of former top intelligence officials who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations. The list of former senior intelligence officials who signed the letter includes James Clapper, a former Director of National Intelligence, and seven CIA Directors including Robert Gates, William Webster, George Tenet, Porter Goss, Michael Hayden, Leon Panetta and David Petraeus. "As former senior intelligence officials, we feel compelled to respond in the wake of the ill-considered and unprecedented remarks and actions by the White House regarding the removal of John Brennan’s security clearances," they wrote. "We know John to be an enormously talented, capable, and patriotic individual who devoted his adult life to the service of this nation," the letter continued. "Insinuations and allegations of wrongdoing on the part of Brennan while in office are baseless," it added. Some of the officials who signed the letter noted that they may not side with Brennan's comments or choose to go public with any comments, but "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 do with an attempt to stifle free speech." The officials said they had "never before seen the approval or removal of security clearances used as a political tool, as was done in this case." They labeled the removal of Brennan's security clearance as "a signal" to current and former officials about potential limits to their free speech. "As individuals who have cherished and helped preserve the right of Americans to free speech – even when that right has been used to criticize us – that signal is inappropriate and deeply regrettable," they wrote. "Decisions on security clearances should be based on national security concerns and not political views." Another statement signed by 60 former CIA officials also supported Brennan and the right of former government officials to express their views "without fear of being punished for doing so." Their letter said it was their "firm belief that the country will be weakened if there is a political litmus test applied before seasoned experts are allowed to share their views.was released on Friday." Brennan received a separate endorsement on Thursday from retired Admiral William McRaven, the former head of U.S. Special Operations Command who oversaw the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden. In an open letter published in the Washington Post, McRaven expressed his support for Brennan and challenged the administration to also remove his security clearance. "Few Americans have done more to protect this country than John. 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 in his letter. "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." In his letter McRaven also directly criticized President Trump saying "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 added, If you think for a moment that your McCarthy-era tactics will suppress the voices of criticism, you are sadly mistaken. The criticism will continue until you become the leader we prayed you would be." Departing for New York on Friday, President Trump said he did not know McRaven, but added that he had received a "tremendous response from having done that because security clearances are very important to me." Trump also doubled down on his criticism of Brennan saying "I've never respected him" and said he would likely soon remove the security clearance of Justice Department official Bruce Ohr.<doc-sep>A number of cable news personalities including former FBI senior intelligence adviser Phil Mudd and former CIA and Defense Department chief of staff Jeremy Bash joined a list of 60 former intelligence officers on Friday denouncing President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE's decision to revoke former CIA Director John Brennan John Owen BrennanWhy does the hard left glorify the Palestinians? Strange bedfellows: UFOs are uniting Trump's fiercest critics, loyalists Overnight Defense: Capitol Police may ask National Guard to stay | Biden's Pentagon policy nominee faces criticism | Naval Academy midshipmen moved to hotels MORE's security clearance. In a statement, the group said ex-intelligence officials should have the right to express their opinions on national security matters without being punished. "All of us believe it is critical to protect classified information from unauthorized disclosure," the group wrote in a letter obtained by CNN. "But we believe equally strongly that former government officials have the right to express their unclassified views on what they see as critical national security issues without fear of being punished for doing so." ADVERTISEMENT The group added that they did not necessarily agree with Brennan's opinions or his manner of expressing them. "What they do represent, however, is our firm belief that the country will be weakened if there is a political litmus test applied before seasoned experts are allowed to share their views," they wrote. Breaking: In new letter, 60 Fmr CIA officers protest Trump on clearances: “We believe equally strongly that former govt officials have the right to express their unclassified views on what they see as critical national security issues without fear of being punished for doing so” pic.twitter.com/D5UxhjrG3n — Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) August 17, 2018 The letter from the former CIA officers comes just one day after 12 former top U.S. intelligence officials condemned Trump's move in a statement. "We have never before seen the approval or removal of security clearances used as a political tool, as was done in this case," the officials said. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Wednesday that Trump had revoked Brennan's clearance because of Brennan's "lying" and "increasingly frenzied commentary." Many seized on the move as indicative of Trump targeting public officials who are critical of him and his administration. Trump later acknowledged to The Wall Street Journal that he drew a direct connection between special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerSenate Democrats urge Garland not to fight court order to release Trump obstruction memo Why a special counsel is guaranteed if Biden chooses Yates, Cuomo or Jones as AG Barr taps attorney investigating Russia probe origins as special counsel MORE's probe into possible ties between his campaign and Russia, and his decision to revoke Brennan’s security clearance. Brennan has been one of Trump's harsher critics and has continued to issue strong denouncements of the president since his clearance was revoked on Wednesday. “Mr. Trump clearly has become more desperate to protect himself and those close to him, which is why he made the politically motivated decision to revoke my security clearance in an attempt to scare into silence others who might dare to challenge him,” Brennan wrote in a New York Times op-ed on Thursday.<doc-sep>
The White House said it stripped former CIA Director John Brennan of his security clearance because he had “leveraged his status ... to make a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations — wild outbursts on the internet and television — about this administration.” | Mark Wilson/Getty Images Scores of ex-spies join in rebuking Trump over security clearances An avalanche of retired senior intelligence officials and spies have joined more than a dozen of their former bosses in issuing a public rebuke of President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke the security clearance of John Brennan, the ex-CIA chief who has become a strong critic of the president. In a rare public campaign, a total of 60 former CIA station chiefs, analysts and operations officers — along with a former director of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center — declared on Friday afternoon their “firm belief that the country will be weakened if there is a political litmus test applied before seasoned experts are allowed to share their views.” “We believe equally strongly that former government officials have the right to express their unclassified views on what they see as critical national security issues without fear of being punished for doing so,” they added in a brief statement . The statement follows a similar one issued late Thursday by 11 former directors and deputy directors of the CIA and one director of national intelligence. They served in Democratic and Republican administrations, and decried the removal of the security clearance “as a political tool.” The back-to-back statements also follow a blistering op-ed by retired Navy Adm. William McRaven, who, in an act of solidarity with Brennan, appealed to Trump to revoke his security clearance, as well. Bill Harlow, a former CIA spokesman who helped coordinate the pair of statements from former officials, said on Friday that “in the process of putting out the first letter, we heard from a lot of people who were not directors of agencies but wanted to know, ‘How do we get in, as well?’” Harlow called it exceedingly rare for intelligence professionals who spent most of their careers in the shadows and who shy away from politically charged public disputes to insert themselves so directly. “There have been one or two other times where I recall a bunch of people speaking out, but not in this number and not at this speed,” Harlow told POLITICO. “They are trying to speak out against politicizing national security and security clearances. This is not about a person. It is about the practice of trying to regulate speech by former officials by tinkering with their security clearances.” “There are rules and regulations under which circumstances they should be removed,” he added. “None say they should be removed if the holder of the security clearance annoys the president.” In his first live TV appearance since being stripped of his security clearance, Brennan told MSNBC on Friday that the president's move was "an egregious act" that "flies in the face of traditional practice, as well as common sense, as well as national security." Brennan said it was for those reasons, and not professional solidarity, that so many former members of America's intelligence apparatus felt compelled to speak out. "I think that's why there's been such an outcry from many intelligence professionals," he said. "Not to support me, but to support the principle that security clearances are something that's very, very solemn and sacred, and they never, ever should be used for political purposes — either to grant friends those clearances or to revoke clearances of your critics." Trump hit back at Brennan on Twitter on Saturday, writing: "Has anyone looked at the mistakes that John Brennan made while serving as CIA Director? He will go down as easily the WORST in history & since getting out, he has become nothing less than a loudmouth, partisan, political hack who cannot be trusted with the secrets to our country!" After Brennan’s security clearance was revoked earlier this week, the White House said the former CIA chief was being punished because he “leveraged his status as a former high-ranking official with access to highly sensitive information to make a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations — wild outbursts on the internet and television — about this administration.”