Today's leftist apoplexy focuses on the removal of former CIA director John Brennan's security clearance, announced yesterday afternoon by Sarah Sanders.  As AT readers know well, Brennan has been a hysterical critic of President Trump.  Just yesterday, retired CIA operative Ishamel Jones reviewed on these pages Brennan's likely role in fabricating the Russia collusion fantasy intended to overrule the voters' will.  A look at his Twitter account proves the point, which the latest tweet as of this writing shows:

This action is part of a broader effort by Mr. Trump to suppress freedom of speech & punish critics.  It should gravely worry all Americans, including intelligence professionals, about the cost of speaking out. My principles are worth far more than clearances. I will not relent. https://t.co/TNzOxhP9ux

— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) August 15, 2018

It is absurd to claim that the First Amendment has been violated.  Brennan continues to fulminate in public at will, with access to a national cable television audience unimpeded.

As many commenters have pointed out, Brennan's security clearance did not enable him to have access to secrets, as if he had some computer terminal that could get into top-secret files.  But the security clearance did make one important addition to Brennan's information portfolio: it enabled legal leaks of classified material to him from friendly Deep State members.  Allahpundit made this point:

In all likelihood he had no access to any recent intel in the first place.  And if people inside the administration were sharing it with him because they hate Trump, odds are they're going to go on sharing it even after today's action (although they can be jailed for doing so now).

And, of course, access to legal leaks helped Brennan monetize his past with a fat contract to comment on MSNBC.

Further revocations of security clearances for former officials are in prospect, and that's a good thing.  In the past, when a basic level of comity prevailed, there would have been value in new officials being able to consult with veterans from former administrations.  All would have shared a basic goal in protecting the national interest.  But now that war on Trump has been declared, the ouster of a duly elected president has become the goal of a significant number of deeply buried officials, members of the media, and members of the general public.  There is no reason to continue a courtesy after courtesy has been so thoroughly rejected.