‘SADLY MISTAKEN’

Admiral Who Oversaw Bin Laden Raid: Revoke My Security Clearance, Too

He called Brennan “one of the finest public servants I have ever known.”

William H. McRaven, the retired Navy admiral who led the SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011, published a scathing op-ed Thursday in The Washington Post that criticized President Donald Trump for revoking the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan. McRaven began by calling Brennan “one of the finest public servants I have ever known.” He then told Trump: “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 concluded the op-ed by writing that “If you think for a moment that your McCarthy-era tactics will suppress the voices of criticism, you are sadly mistaken. The criticism will continue until you become the leader we prayed you would be.” McRaven’s words come only a day after the White House’s announcement that Brennan’s clearance would be revoked. Brennan—one of Trump’s most vocal critics—also fired back on his own, writing that stripping him of his security clearance was a thinly-veiled attempt to “suppress freedom of speech & punish critics.”