‘Knows nothing about treason’: Brennan called out for anti-Trump grandstanding
Ex-CIA chief John Brennan was among the first on Twitter to slam President Trump for his press conference performance with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Brennan has a history of questionable political decisions himself.
After the much-anticipated Helsinki summit on Monday, Presidents Trump and Putin faced the press. Trump declined to goad his Russian counterpart on allegations of election meddling, and took Putin’s denial at face value. Brennan called this decision “nothing short of treasonous.”
“Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic,” Brennan added, “he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???”
Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of “high crimes & misdemeanors.” It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) July 16, 2018
Brennan’s comments were echoed by the vast majority of the US political and media establishment, always keen to stir up tension with the big bad Russians. To some observers, though, Brennan’s tweet was all noise and no substance.
“Whenever John Brennan opens his mouth or tweets he removes all doubt about his ignorance,” said Fox News analyst Gregg Jarrett. “He clearly knows nothing about treason. The U.S. is not at war with Russia.” Jarret then cites an article by constitutional law professor Carlton Larson, in which Larson explains how ‘treason’ is an incredibly narrowly-defined offense.
Whenever John Brennan opens his mouth or tweets he removes all doubt about his ignorance. He clearly knows nothing about treason. The U.S. is not at war with Russia. He should read professor Carlton Larson's excellent analysis of treason in @washingtonpost on 2-17-17,
— Gregg Jarrett (@GreggJarrett) July 16, 2018
Journalist Max Blumenthal pointed out that while Brennan grandstands about treason, he has a history of arming extremist groups in Syria. These groups’ views towards the US mattered little to Brennan, as long as they opposed Bashar al-Assad’s government.
I’d venture that most American pundits howling about high crimes and treason don’t even know the basics of either issue or why they’re relevant. Except perhaps for John Brennan, who helped ravage Syria by overseeing the arming and training of Salafi-jihadi insurgents. https://t.co/j3QDncCzIO
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) July 16, 2018
As head of the CIA under the Obama administration, Brennan ran the United States’ covert operations throughout the world. However, at the height of the Cold War in 1976, Brennan voted for Communist Party candidate Gus Hall, an orthodox Marxist-Leninist who was hosted by high-level Soviet politicians like Leonid Brezhnev on his many visits to Moscow in the 1960s and 70s.
Brennan’s opponents didn’t let him forget this little act of micro-treason, even if he was 22 at the time.
John Brennan literally voted for the Communist Party to take power in the United States of America. If you look at his ludicrous tweet through that lens it makes more sense. https://t.co/2xUmlihwXT
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) July 16, 2018
This is coming from the guy who voted for the Communist Party USA candidate in 1976. Give me a break https://t.co/0l8X8wiNWA
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) July 16, 2018
Morning Swamp has nutjob John Brennan on yelling treason all morning. He was the 2016 CIA Director who allowed all this hacking and interference to take place. He has admitted to voting for the communist party candidate for President: https://t.co/CYeSCT21M3
— MARK SIMONE (@MarkSimoneNY) July 17, 2018
Brennan describes himself as a “nonpartisan American,” but now spends his post-CIA life penning florid tweets and outraged op-eds about Trump, and slamming the President on MSNBC.
Your fear of exposure is palpable. Your desperation even more so. When will those of conscience among your Cabinet, inner circle, and Republican leadership realize that your unprincipled and unethical behavior as well as your incompetence are seriously damaging our Nation. https://t.co/n6ivjOYxzo
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) June 23, 2018
Trump has accused Brennan of leading the effort to frame him for collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign, knowingly using a dossier of salacious and false allegations to jump-start Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing and still unsuccessful investigation.
In May, Trump wrote that Brennan had “disgraced himself...and the entire Intelligence Community” by using the so-called Steele Dossier to start the 'Russiagate' probe. “This guy [Brennan] is the genesis of this whole Debacle. This was a Political hit job, this was not an Intelligence Investigation. Brennan has disgraced himself, he’s worried about staying out of Jail,” Trump tweeted.
“John Brennan is panicking. He has disgraced himself, he has disgraced the Country, he has disgraced the entire Intelligence Community. He is the one man who is largely responsible for the destruction of American’s faith in the Intelligence Community and in some people at the....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 21, 2018
Responding to Brennan’s accusation of treason, Trump told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson that the former CIA chief is “a very bad guy.”
“If you look at it, a lot of things happened under his watch. I think he's a very bad person," Trump said.
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