Page 36 - Jim Clapper News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

What do you think about that? >> that's not the point. that's not the point. the point is intimidation. the point is intimidation of any other official in the government of discounting what the president's saying or perhaps even giving contrary advice to the president. if you take a revered figure like john brennan or susan rice, she's supposedly on this list, or jim clapper, also supposedly on this list of officials whose security clearance might be taken away, i think the real objective might be to silence people within the u.s. government, in civil service, and i was a career civil servant....

Media coverage of trump, it doesn't seem that far off. >> if you look at john brennan's tweets, they're emotional. they're energized. this is someone who sees the sort of denigration of america's security and national security apparatus. >> people who worked for brennan were very clear that he was not a partisan. you can say it on the outside, because he feels a duty now to say something to save our country. >> i've personally known and worked with john brennan. the same with jim clapper. those people have more integrity, more intelligence and more honesty in their little fingers than this pre...

With nato and admiral, always glad to talk with you. i know you've been a very outspoken former member of the services. first question, do you still have a security clearance? >> i do, alex, and i think this gets right to the question of how you would diminish our national security if you start pulling these clearances. the reason former officials have these clearances is so that they can turn around and give advice to their successors. let me give you a practical example. when i was supreme allied commander of nato i could pick up the phone, call the previous supreme allied commanders because...

Standing in society. it's totally testified that this guy should... clearance, but i think anyone arguing otherwise has not been listening to brennan's comments. william webster, george tannen, porter goff, mike hayden. leon panetta, david pretorius, jim clapper. what do you make of this? i wanted to ask you, when trump said on the lawn, nobody has ever heard of him, i'm giving him more publicity and making him bigger than ever, what did you think? >> that, we have a lot of respect for everything they've done to protect the country and weed out the enemies. i just happen to disagree, they are ...

Whether it has any practical effect or not, he'll do it. that's what he does. >> you know, in preparation for coming on your tough show i scoured the constitution, in particular the bill of rights, and i looked and i looked and i looked again for the right to get security clearance for a former government official. and guess what? it ain't there. it is not -- that's because it's not a right. it is a privilege. and it is a privilege bestowed by the president of the united states as a courtesy. it does not have to be extended. >> no, it doesn't. but when is it supposed to be pulled? there's a pr...