The Atlantic

The Mystery of the Disappearing Security Clearance

President Trump tried to unilaterally strip a CIA director’s security clearance, but it’s still unclear whether he actually did.
Source: Alex Wong / Getty

Editor’s Note: This article is one of 50 in a series about Trump's first two years as president.

On August 15, 2018, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stepped into the White House briefing room to read a remarkable : The president had decided to strip former CIA Director John Brennan of his security clearance. Sanders named other former officials who might

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