A new poll shows that a majority of Americans support the president’s right to revoke security clearances of former government officials.
According to the Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll online survey, “59 percent of registered voters felt Brennan should have lost his security clearance, while 64 percent said Comey and others at the FBI who were fired or demoted over their actions should lose their clearance.”
This comes after a media firestorm over Trump’s decision to revoke ex-CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance culminated with a letter of condemnation from 175 former intelligence officials. It also comes after CNN’s excitable intelligence analyst Phil Mudd had an embarrassing on-air meltdown when a guest stated that former government officials frequently leverage their security clearances for high-paying consulting or media gigs.
Sixty percent of registered voters agree with CNN’s now suspended guest Paris Dennard that “former national security officials who become consultants and TV news contributors should give up their national security clearances.”
Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll co-director Mark Penn told The Hill: “An overwhelming majority of the public thinks that former officials should lose their security clearance, and believe that former officials like Brennan and Coney should no longer have any clearance.”
He added: “There would definitely be support for a wholesale policy revoking their clearances.”
The Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll online survey consisted of surveys of 1,330 registered voters conducted Aug. 22-23. The partisan breakdown is 37 percent Democrat, 32 percent Republican, 29 percent independent and 2 percent other.
The left-wing establishment’s attempt to turn Trump’s decision into an attack on free speech rights clearly fell flat with the American public — which is good news because Trump is just getting started.
Security clearances under review. #FoxNewsSunday pic.twitter.com/cgVLjkQuSG
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 19, 2018
Earlier this month, Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner announced plans to present an amendment preventing the president from “arbitrarily revoking security clearances.”
Unfortunately for Democrats, the public is not behind them on this.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member