Rudy Giuliani, one of President Trump’s personal lawyers, goaded former CIA Director John Brennan on Monday to sue after Trump last week stripped him of his security clearance.
“To John Brennan: Today President Trump granted our request (Jay Sekulow and me) to handle your case. After threatening [a lawsuit] if you don’t it would be just like Obama’s red lines. Come on John you’re not a blowhard?” Giuliani wrote on Twitter, referring to another member of Trump’s outside legal counsel.
To John Brennan: Today President Trump granted our request (Jay Sekulow and me) to handle your case. After threatening if you don’t it would be just like Obama’s red lines. Come on John you’re not a blowhard?
— Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) August 20, 2018
Brennan told MSNBC Friday that he had been contacted by several attorneys who advised him he could pursue legal options to stop Trump from pulling credentials from other former intelligence or law enforcement officials, particularly if they’ve been critical of the president.
“Well, I think as you can imagine, a number of lawyers have reached out to say that there is a very strong case here, not so much to reclaim mine but to prevent this from happening in the future,” Brennan said.
Here’s what John Brennan told me Friday night about potential legal action in response to the President revoking his security clearance: pic.twitter.com/zESJFhk5jI
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) August 20, 2018
He then told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” Sunday he was “going to do whatever I can personally to try to prevent these abuses in the future.”
“If it means going to court, I will do that,” Brennan said.
Giuliani’s tweet comes after he told Fox News that he’d “love” for Brennan to seek legal recourse so he could leverage the opportunity to ask him questions under oath. Trump similarly dared Brennan on Twitter Monday to sue over his clearance.
“I hope John Brennan, the worst CIA Director in our country’s history, brings a lawsuit. It will then be very easy to get all of his records, texts, emails and documents to show not only the poor job he did, but how he was involved with the Mueller Rigged Witch Hunt. He won’t sue!” Trump wrote.
I hope John Brennan, the worst CIA Director in our country’s history, brings a lawsuit. It will then be very easy to get all of his records, texts, emails and documents to show not only the poor job he did, but how he was involved with the Mueller Rigged Witch Hunt. He won’t sue!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2018
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced during Wednesday’s briefing that Brennan’s access to sensitive information had been revoked because he made “a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations — wild outbursts on the Internet and television — about this administration.”
Brennan, now an MSNBC contributor, has worked for presidents of both parties, but has been extremely critical of Trump, describing him as “abnormal.”
