Paul Ryan Laughs Off Trump Revoking Security Clearances: ‘He’s Just Trolling People’

Paul Ryan Laughs Off Trump Revoking Security Clearances: ‘He’s Just Trolling People’

During the White House press briefing Monday, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders revealed that President Donald Trump was considering revoking the security clearances of former national security officials who have been critical of him post-Helsinki. Asked Tuesday about concerns over the president targeting political opponents by pulling privileges and rights, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan completely brushed them off.

“I think he’s trolling people,” Ryan told reporters while laughing. He added that some of the people named by Sanders — former FBI leaders James Comey and Andrew McCabe — have already lost their clearance and that the issue is in the “purview” of the executive branch.

When pressed again by MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt on the issue and whether this was something that you see in “banana republics,” the Republican leader essentially said the leader of the free world shouldn’t be taken seriously when threatening to target his political critics.

“I think he’s just trolling people,” Ryan concluded, quickly moving on to another question.

Of course, Ryan’s comments drew a reaction from folks in the media:

Watch the clip above, via CNN.

Justin Baragona

Justin Baragona is the founder/publisher of Contemptor and a contributor to The Daily Beast. He was previously the Cable News Correspondent for Mediaite and prior to starting Contemptor, he worked on the editorial staff of PoliticusUSA. During that time, he had his work quoted by USA Today and BBC News, among others. Justin began his published career as a political writer for 411Mania. He resides in St. Louis, MO with his wife and pets.

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