Treason, Trust—and Trump
John Brennan’s allies worry his intemperate presidential criticism is backfiring.
By William McGurn
Aug. 20, 2018 6:22 p.m. ET
So Rachel Maddow is now the voice of moderation on Donald Trump. Of course, it’s only by comparison to John Brennan. In an interview Friday on MSNBC, Ms. Maddow gently intimated that the former Central Intelligence Agency director might have gone too far in calling the president “nothing short of treasonous†for his Helsinki press conference with Vladimir Putin. Mr. Brennan backed away—but just a little.
“I didn’t mean that he committed treason,†Mr. Brennan said. Ms. Maddow pressed him, noting that treason is a “serious allegation†and saying “if we diagram the sentence, ‘nothing short of treasonous’ means it’s treason.â€
By Sunday’s appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,†Mr. Brennan had shaken loose any qualifiers. When asked if he regretted his words, Mr. Brennan replied, “I called his behavior treasonous, which is to betray one’s trust and to aid and abet the enemy. And I stand very much by that claim.â€
Mr. Trump’s decision last week to revoke Mr. Brennan’s security clearance drew predictable howls from the president’s opponents—and equally predictable defenses from his supporters. But the most interesting response has been from Brennan allies warning him that his intemperance may be backfiring.
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/treason-trustand-trump-1534803727