Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” former director of National Intelligence James Clapper said the removal of former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance by President Donald Trump was in part because of Brennan’s “rhetoric.”

When asked if Brennan’s hyperbole is an issue, Clapper said, “I think it is. I think John is sort of like a freight train and he’s going to say what’s on his mind. I think, though, that the common denominator among all of us that have been speaking up, though, is genuine concern about the jeopardy or threats to our institutions and values. And we all express that in different ways. And I think this is what this is really about. But I think John and his rhetoric have become an issue in and of itself.”

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