On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Wolf,” Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) stated that while he wouldn’t have gone that far, former CIA Director John Brennan was “within the reasonableness orbit” when he characterized President Trump’s performance in Helsinki as “treasonous.” Lieu also said that if the president revoked Brennan’s clearance “because of free speech issues, that is…not legitimate, and I think John Brennan would have a very reasonable and probably victorious First Amendment case if he were to bring it.”
Lieu said, “[J]ust because a president has the power to take an action, doesn’t mean it’s legitimate. So for example, if someone were to bribe the president, say, I’m going to give you $10,000 in exchange to get a security clearance, and the president agreed, that would not be legitimate. So similarly, if the president’s revoking John Brennan’s security clearance because of free speech issues, that is also not legitimate, and I think John Brennan would have a very reasonable and probably victorious First Amendment case if he were to bring it.”
Anchor Wolf Blitzer asked Lieu about Brennan’s comments that the president’s actions at the Helsinki summit were “treasonous.”
Lieu responded, “I think different people can look at what the president did in Helsinki, the way he kowtowed to Vladimir Putin, and come away with that conclusion. I’m not sure that I would have gone to that length. But I think John Brennan is certainly within the reasonableness orbit to have made that conclusion.”
Lieu added that treason “is a strong word.”
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