Former Vice President Joe Biden lauded retired Adm. William McRaven after he claimed it would be an “honor” for President Trump to revoke his security clearance as was done to former CIA Director John Brennan last week.
Biden, who has remained in touch with several people who worked alongside him during the Obama administration, called McRaven on Sunday to say how “proud” he was of him, Axios reports.
“It is presumptuous of me to say, but I’m so incredibly proud of you,” Biden told McRaven. “I saw up close your physical courage, including your incredible calm during planning for the bin Laden raid.”
Biden also shared a quote from former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
“As RFK said: ‘Moral courage is the rarer commodity than bravery in battle,'” Biden told McRaven. “I have never met anybody whose moral courage equaled their physical courage in your category. I’m proud to know you and be associated with you.”
McRaven, who oversaw the Navy SEAL raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011, published an op-ed last week in the Washington Post, where he defended Brennan’s character and slammed Trump’s leadership.
“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,” McRaven wrote.
He also warned that rescinding security clearances of former officials would not “suppress the voices of criticism.”
The op-ed was published a day after the White House announced that Trump yanked Brennan’s security clearance, citing Brennan’s “erratic behavior” as why he shouldn’t have access to sensitive information. The White House also revealed it was considering removing security clearances of other top ex-officials, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and one current DOJ official, Bruce Ohr.
[Trump: Is Clapper playing nice to keep his security clearance?]
