House Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Tuesday played down
President Trump’s threat to revoke security clearances of former top
officials who have criticized him, saying he thinks the president is
merely “trolling people.”Ryan (R-Wis.) was
asked about the possible White House action a day after press secretary
Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump is “looking to take away” the
clearances of half a dozen former senior national security and
intelligence officials who served in the administrations of George W.
Bush or Barack Obama.“I think he’s trolling people, honestly,” Ryan said at a news conference with other House Republican leaders.
Ryan
said the issue falls under “the purview of the executive branch,” not
Congress, before saying again: “I think he’s just trolling people.”The
White House’s threat on Monday immediately prompted accusations of
political retaliation by current and former officials, as well as
security analysts, who said Trump would set a dangerous precedent by
punishing political speech.Several of the
officials he cited have written books questioning his leadership and his
affection for Russian President Vladimir Putin and harshly criticized
Trump in television interviews.Ryan also said
Tuesday that Putin would not be invited to speak to Congress if he
accepts Trump’s invitation to come to Washington for another round of
talks.“We will certainly not be giving him an invitation for a joint session,” Ryan said. “That’s something we do for allies.”
Ryan
added that he’s comfortable with Putin coming to the United States if a
message is delivered that Russia needs to stop interfering in U.S.
elections.“It’s the message that counts,” Ryan said.
24 July 2018
‘He’s just trolling people’: Ryan plays down Trump’s threat to revoke security clearances
Cheloneuniverse 