Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Tuesday dismissed President Donald Trump’s threat to revoke the security clearances of former Obama administration officials.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders revealed on Monday that Trump is considering pulling the clearances of former intelligence officials who have been critical of him. She named former CIA Directors John Brennan and Michael Hayden, former FBI Director James Comey, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, and former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Ryan suggested that Congress does not have an oversight role — even if the president carries through with the threat.
“I think he’s trolling people, honestly,” Ryan laughed. “This is something that’s in the purview of the executive branch.”
“I think some people already lost their clearances, some people keep their clearances,” he added. “That’s something that the executive branch deals with. It’s not really in our purview.”
