No. of Recommendations: 1
Can you give an example of who you're talking about? Specifically? As I recall, all of the 51 folks you're referring to were former CIA employees. How are they in the business of peddling privileged information?Obviously, since I'm not privy to the information they have I can't provide an exacting example. But let's look at one Mike Morrel for example:
npr.org - Former CIA deputy director michael morell discusses security clearancesThis is a guy I used to have a lot of respect for. Now he runs around acting as if his security clearance is a right:
KELLY: Well, let me ask you this. You, and almost all of the other living former CIA directors and deputy directors, issued a joint statement yesterday, in which you argued that revoking John Brennan's clearance is an attempt to stifle free speech - your words. Also, you mentioned that none of you has ever seen the approval or removal of security clearance being used as a political tool before. Is that right?
MORELL: That's absolutely correct. You know, I worked at the CIA for 33 years. For seven of those years, I was on the CIA leadership team where one of my responsibilities was to make final determinations on the revocation of security clearances. And it was always - somebody had done something wrong either legally or something of questionable behavior. But I never saw it done for political reasons. To me and to us as a group, the signees of the letter, it was unprecedented.The premise of the NPR reporter's question is bogus and the assertion that this is an 'attempt to stifle free speech' is specious.
They're not permitted to talk about what they see in classified reports. Not at all. Bogus, as I said.
What does MM do for a living? He gives interviews as a "security expert". That entails talking to his buddies, reviewing any reports and likely being brought in as a part of the odd Red Team from time to time to review things.
Take all that away and his cred as a "security expert" vanishes.
