Month: August 2018
McRaven Asks Trump to Revoke His Security Clearance
Former CIA director John Brennan, whose security clearance you revoked on Wednesday, is one of the finest public servants I have ever known. 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. 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.
— William McRaven, who oversaw the 2011 Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden, wrote an open letter to President Trump in the Washington Post.
Public Support for Kavannagh Lowest Since Bork in ’87
37%
A new CNN poll finds Brett Kavanaugh receives a cooler public reception than nearly every Supreme Court nominee for the last four administrations. “Women are a driving force behind the tepid response, with fewer than three in 10 saying Kavanaugh ought to be confirmed.
… Overall, 37% of Americans say they’d like to see the Senate vote in favor of his confirmation. Kavanaugh’s support is the lowest in polling dating back to Robert Bork’s nomination by President Ronald Reagan in 1987.”
Trump’s Military Parade to Cost $92 Million
$92 million
“President Trump’s military parade this fall is shaping up to cost $80 million more than initially estimated,” CNBC reports. “The Department of Defense and its interagency partners have updated their perspective cost estimates for the parade… The parade, slated for Nov. 10, is estimated to cost $92 million… An initial estimate last month pegged the prospective cost for the parade at $12 million.”
Trump Cannot Silence Brennan
“This action is part of a broader effort by Mr. Trump to suppress freedom of speech and punish critics. It should gravely worry all Americans, including intelligence professionals, about the cost of speaking out. My principles are worth far more than clearances. I will not relent.”
— Former CIA Director John Brennan, responding on Twitter to President Trump revoking his security clearance.
Trump Presidency: ‘The Greatest Intelligence Operation of Our Time’
In an interview on MSNBC, investigative journalist Craig Unger, author of the new book, House of Putin, House of Trump, described how Donald Trump first gained access to Russian mob money, starting with New York real-estate transactions in the 1980s:
I go back nearly 40 years, and I see essentially the greatest intelligence operation of our times. It started off in 1984 with a man who has ties to the Russian mafia, and he meets with Donald Trump in the Trump Tower, the supreme moment of Donald Trump becoming a master of real estate in the United States — and what we end up seeing is Trump Tower become sort of a cathedral of money laundering.
