Paul Ryan thinks Trump is ‘trolling people’ with security clearances threats

Chip
Somodevilla/Getty Images

• House Speaker Paul Ryan said President Trump was “just
  trolling” when the White House said it would revoke security
  clearances for former officials who had been critical of the
  president.
• White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said
  Monday the administration was weighing taking clearances away
  from James Comey, Andrew McCabe, James Brennan, and
  more.
• It was later revealed that neither Comey nor McCabe
  still have their clearances.

---

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Paul Ryan said that President Donald
Trump is “just trolling people” in regard to the White House
saying it would consider revoking security clearances for former
officials who criticize the current administration.

On Monday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders
said Trump was considering a move to take away clearances from
individuals who they believe have “politicized” their access.
When asked about Sen. Rand Paul wanting Trump to take away former
CIA Director John Brennan’s clearance, Sanders
said, “He’s also looking into
the clearances of [James] Comey, [James] Clapper,
[Michael] Hayden, [Susan] Rice, and [Andrew] McCabe.”

“The President is exploring the mechanisms to remove
security clearance because they’ve politicized and, in
some cases, monetized their public service and
security clearances,” Sanders added.

The comments sparked backlash on Capitol Hill amid
revelations that many of the people named by
Sanders no
longer have security clearances.

Because many of the former officials, including former FBI
Director Comey and former FBI Deputy Director McCabe, revealed
they no longer had their clearances anyway, Ryan called it a
troll move by Trump.

“I think he’s trolling people honestly,” Ryan said in a press
conference Tuesday morning. “This is something that’s in the
purview of the executive branch. I think some of these people
already lost their clearances. Some people keep their clearances.
That’s how the executive branch deals with it. Not really in our
purview.”

But Democrats in Congress are still taking it very seriously.
Rep. Adam Schiff, who serves as ranking member on the House
Intelligence Committee, told reporters that Trump was making a
“cowardly action of someone who is afraid of criticism.”