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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2018)
NATION Saturday, August 18, 2018 East Oregonian Trump warns he’ll revoke clearance of more Justice Department officials By JILL COLVIN and CATHERINE LUCEY Associated Press WASHINGTON — Pres- ident Donald Trump said Friday that he suspects he’ll “very quickly” revoke the security clearance for a Jus- tice Department official whose wife worked for the firm involved in producing a dossier on Trump’s ties to Russia. Signaling that his efforts to target clearances over his frustration with the Russia investigation were not over, Trump tweeted that it was a “disgrace” for Bruce Ohr to be in the Justice Department. His comments came two days after he yanked the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, saying he had to do “some- thing” about the “rigged” federal probe of Russian election interference. Critics have cast it as an act of polit- ical vengeance. Ohr has come under Republican scrutiny for his contacts to Glenn Simpson, co-founder of Fusion GPS. The opposition research firm hired former British spy Christopher Steele during the 2016 presidential cam- paign to compile the dos- sier on Trump and his Rus- sia ties. Ohr’s wife, Nellie, worked for Fusion GPS during the campaign — something Trump has tweeted about to high- light his assertions of polit- ical bias behind the Russia investigation. Former U.S. security officials on Thursday issued scathing rebukes to Trump for moving against Bren- nan. Trump’s admission that he acted out of frustration with the Russia probe under- scored his willingness to use his executive power to fight back against an investiga- AP Photo/Files These file photos, top row from left are former CIA Director Michael Hayden, former FBI Director James Comey, former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe and former national security adviser Susan Rice. Bottom row from left are former FBI Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok, former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, former Deputy Attor- ney General Sally Yates and former National Intelligence Director James Clapper. President Donald Trump acted Aug. 15, 2018, on a threat and revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, citing a constitutional responsibility to protect classified information. Trump says he is reviewing security clearances for nine other individuals, including the eight pictured. tion he sees as a threat to his presidency. Legal experts said the dispute may add to the evidence being reviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller. In an opinion piece in The New York Times, Bren- nan said Trump’s decision, announced Wednesday, to deny him access to classi- fied information was a des- perate attempt to end Muel- ler’s investigation. Brennan, who served under Presi- dent Barack Obama and has become a vocal Trump critic, called Trump’s claims that he did not collude with Russia “hogwash.” The only question remaining is whether the collusion amounts to a NEW 2018 HIGHLANDER AWD LE 0 DOWN $ “constituted criminally lia- ble conspiracy,” Brennan wrote. Later Thursday, the retired Navy admiral who oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden called Trump’s moves “McCar- thy-era tactics.” Writing in The Washington Post, Wil- liam H. McRaven said he would “consider it an honor” if Trump would revoke his clearance, as well. “Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our chil- dren, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation,” McRaven wrote. That was followed late Thursday by a joint let- 377 $ ter from 15 former senior intelligence officials calling Trump’s action “ill-consid- ered and unprecedented.” They said it “has nothing to do with who should and should not hold security clearances — and every- thing to do with an attempt to stifle free speech.” The signees included seven former CIA directors, six former CIA deputy direc- tors and two former national intelligence directors, James Clapper and retired Navy Adm. Denny Blair. Clap- per and former CIA Direc- tor Michael Hayden have appeared on a White House list of people who may also have their security clear- ances revoked. Trump blames D.C. as military parade plans unravel over costs WASHINGTON (AP) — The cancellation of President Donald Trump’s Veterans Day parade came swiftly when senior White House and Pentagon lead- ers saw the estimated $92 million price tag play out in public, setting off a cha- otic volley of tweets and accusations between the president and the mayor of the nation’s capital. The drama that unfolded Thursday and Friday also highlighted, not for the first time, a disconnect between the Pentagon and the White House when it comes to turning some of Trump’s more mercurial ideas into reality. While Defense Secre- tary Jim Mattis dismissed the price estimate for the parade as fiction — lik- ening the report of it as the work of someone who had been smoking pot — Trump wasn’t denying the projected costs. He was lashing out at Washing- ton, D.C., politicians he claimed were to blame for the sky-high price. “When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory mili- tary parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it. Never let someone hold you up!” Trump tweeted. He held out hope of holding the parade next year instead, and said this year he would travel to Paris for events mark- ing the centennial of the end of fighting in World War I, which falls on Vet- erans Day, Nov. 11. “Now we can buy some more jet fighters!” he added. Despite Trump blaming municipal authorities for the high estimate, the bulk of the cost was the $50 million Pentagon portion that would cover military aircraft, equipment, per- sonnel and other support. The remaining $42 million would cover costs borne by the city and other agen- cies and largely involved security costs. The Republican presi- dent’s finger-pointing set off a social media spat with D.C.’s Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser. She shot back on Twitter Friday that she was the one who “finally got thru to the real- ity star in the White House with the realities ($21.6M) of parades/events/demon- strations in Trump Amer- ica (sad).” District of Colum- bia officials called the price-gouging charge by Trump “patently false.” A city official said the $21.6 million estimate of the costs the city would incur was their “best stab at it,” since they did not know what the exact route would be or how long it would last. The official, who wasn’t autho- rized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on con- dition of anonymity, said there had been little inter- action with the Pentagon and few details provided. Trump decided he wanted a military parade in Washington after he attended France’s Bastille Day celebration in the cen- ter of Paris last year. Sev- eral months later Trump praised the French parade, saying, “We’re going to have to try and top it.” It was a demand that drew criticism not just from Trump’s politi- cal opponents but some Republicans too. As the Pentagon began planning for the U.S. version, the cost became a politically charged issue — as did the prospect of streets in the nation’s capital being churned up by tank treads. /MO On Approved Credit stk# 18H864. New 2018 Toyota Highlander AWD LE. MSRP $37,915. Sale $35,529. $500 Toyota Financial Service Rebate. 36month/12k miles per year lease with $0 down = $377/mo. On approved credit. Net cap cost: $36,055.25. GFV $23,128. Plus tax, title and $75 doc fee. No security deposit required. Offer expires 8/31/18. NEW 2018 CAMRY SE 288 0 $ /MO On Approved Credit $ DOWN stk# 18H901. New 2018 Toyota Camry se. MSRP $26,524. $1,000 Toyota Financial Service Rebate. 12k miles per year lease with $0 cash down = $288/mo. On approved credit. Net cap cost: $24,684.20. 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