Former US spy chief versus Trump

I don't know what the protocols are in the US covering former heads of spy agencies, but in the UK ex-chiefs of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, the three intelligence agencies, tend to stay clear of politics once they retire and don't interfere in government matters, let alone criticise the encumbent prime minister or any former British prime minister. They stay in the shadows and rarely make public statements. This is definitely the UK protoco, although some past chiefs have occasionally ventured into the public limelight, notably Sir Richard Dearlove and Sir John Sawers, both of MI6. In the US, however, there seems to be a free-for-all. With the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House, one former intelligence chief in particular has been positively vicious in his attacks on the president. John Brennan, appointed CIA director by President Obama, has regularly fired off against Trump, warning the US and the world of the dangerous tendencies of Trump. All CIA directors are political appointments. They have to be chosen and nominated by the sitting president and then approved by the Senate. But they are not political animals, they are appointed to run one of the biggest intelligence services in the world and are expected to serve the president whatever their individual political persuasion. Sometimes their politics is well known. Mike Pompeo, for example, was formerly a member of the House of Representatives intelligence select committee, as a Republican. But the present CIA director, Gina Haspel, is an out-and-out CIA career intelligence officer, so she has never had to display her political leanings. Brennan served in the CIA for 25 years, so he, too, was a career intelligence officer although he served in various appointments under Obama before getting the CIA top job. In fact, in his time, he has served under six presidents, Democrat and Republican. Whatever his personal politics, he is anti-Trump. He once described Trump's "self- adoration" as "disgraceful". Ouch! More recently he has warned that the US needs strong leadership and has admitted he is worried that the country is in the hands of someone who is inexperienced in dealing with the tough issues of the world. The criticism by Brennan, and others from the same intelligence world, has seriously riled Trump who has threatened to withdraw security clearances for all of them. Actually when they leave government service, they generally no longer require such clearance. But of course there are some occasions when a former CIA director might be invited back to Langley in Virginia, the agency HQ, for ceremonies or even for briefings. I doubt this will stop but the warning from Trump was clearly aimed at getting them to shut up. Brennan is entitled to his views but to my mind a former CIA diector, with all the power that gave him during his time in office, should not make personal attacks against the encumbent president. First of all, in the case of Trump, it will make the president even more suspicious of the intelligence agency than he is already, and. secondly, it won't help Gina Haspel to win the trust of the White House. By all means, make intelligent comments about the challenges facing the president, but personal attacks achieve nothing and politicise the CIA.