Trump blocks Obama intel chief from attending graduation of dog named after his late wife

Atlantic writer Shane Harris reports President Donald Trump has removed dog owner James Clapper, 84, from the graduation ceremony for his bomb-sniffing dog, "Susan."

Clapper, who had sponsored Susan through a nonprofit organization that helps place service dogs, was thrilled when Susan completed a CIA training program designed to save lives. But Clapper, who was the former director of National Intelligence in the Obama administration, could not attend the ceremony.

“The day before the event, in late May, he received an email from the nonprofit dog-training group: Clapper’s name had been scratched from the guest list, per an executive order from the president of the United States,” writes Harris.

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Harris said Trump accuses Clapper and other members of the “deep state” of concocting the “Russian hoax” story against him. Plus, Clapper has bemoaned Trump’s lack of class on cable-news appearances over the past five years.

“After Trump returned to the White House, payback for Clapper was swift and personal,” said Harris. “Via executive order, Trump stripped his security clearance along with those of more than four dozen other former intelligence officials.”

The CIA declined to respond to questions, but Harris said CIA officials interpreted Trump’s executive order to mean Clapper should be barred from setting foot on agency property. The agency conveyed that message to the nonprofit, which had invited Clapper to attend the ceremony, according to a nonprofit representative.

“The upshot is that an octogenarian Air Force retiree who spent half a century in his nation’s service was not allowed to attend a party for a dog he essentially donated to the government and named after his dead wife,” said Harris. “… This was not a classified event. Attendees didn’t need a security clearance. There are photos from the ceremony on Facebook, showing happy people proudly posing with happy service dogs. One presumes that graduates were showered with scritches, kisses, and lots of treats, and not given the nuclear codes.”

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This is a story, said Harris, that might seem trivial, but “it illustrates how powerfully this administration seeks retribution.”

Read the full Atlantic report at this link.