Revokes security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan

Trump unilaterally revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, an outspoken critic, in an unprecedented act of political retaliation. The White House cited Brennan's "erratic conduct," but Trump told the Wall Street Journal he did it because of the "rigged witch hunt," directly linking the punishment to the Russia investigation.

"I call it the rigged witch hunt, [it] is a sham. And these people led it... So I think it's something that had to be done." — Wall Street Journal interview, August 15, 2018