The president’s statement on Brennan was dated in late July, just after Sanders first told reporters that Trump might revoke the clearances of several of the critics named Wednesday, including Brennan. By waiting weeks to release it, the administration was widely seen as trying to shift the public's focus: This week the White House has been roiled by attention to the president's feud with former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman, who has called him a racist and released secret recordings of conversations with him and others, and by news from the trial of Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 15, 2018 19:05 UTC