The war of words between John Brennan and Donald Trump escalated on Thursday, with the former CIA director calling the president’s repeated denials that his campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election “hogwash”.Brennan hit back after being stripped of his security clearance by the White House the previous day – an unprecedented presidential intervention that has prompted widespread criticism. A statement from Trump said he had taken the step due to Brennan’s “erratic conduct and behavior”.

Writing in an article for the New York Times published on Thursday, Brennan described the decision to revoke his clearance as “politically motivated” and “an attempt to scare into silence others who might dare to challenge him”. He also wrote: “Mr Trump’s claims of no collusion [with Russia] are, in a word, hogwash.” Brennan, whose criticisms of Trump have escalated in recent months, wrote that the president was “desperate” to end the Russia investigation.(theguardian)…[+]