KEEPING SECRETS

Ex-CIA Director Says Trump Blocked Him From Accessing Classified Records to Sabotage His Memoir

John Brennan says Trump intervened to stop him from gaining access to his official records.

Here comes another book for President Trump to get angry about. Ex-CIA Director John Brennan claims Trump intervened to stop him from gaining access to his official records in a petty and unsuccessful attempt to sabotage his memoir. The Washington Post reports Brennan attempted to gather his classified notes and documents to help him write about his career, as former directors have often done. But, in a break from tradition, his workplace of three decades refused the request. In his now-completed memoir, Brennan is said to write that he discovered the blockage came from the highest office, claiming that, in August 2018, Trump “issued a directive... that purportedly forbids anyone in the intelligence community from sharing classified information with me.” Brennan has been a leading critic of Trump, memorably condemning his comments at a joint press conference with Vladimir Putin as “treasonous.” In turn, Trump has accused Brennan of being part of a “deep state” out to sabotage his presidency and said he was revoking his top-level security clearance; Brennan writes that his clearances remain intact. Brennan’s book, Undaunted: My Fight Against America’s Enemies, at Home and Abroad, is set to be published in October.