President Donald Trump on Friday revoked the security clearances of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Liz Cheney, Hillary Clinton, and several other political figures.
The decision was made due to their involvement in what the administration considers partisan attacks and conspiracies against the government.
In a White House memo, Trump stated that these individuals would no longer have access to classified information.
The list included Antony Blinken, Jacob Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Andrew Weissmann, Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Cheney, Kamala Harris, Adam Kinzinger, Fiona Hill, Alexander Vindman, Joe Biden, and Biden’s family members.
The move follows an earlier announcement by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who indicated that certain individuals mentioned in the memo would soon lose their security clearances.
Gabbard had also taken similar action against 51 former intelligence officers who previously signed a letter falsely claiming that the Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation.
According to reports, the memo that led to the revocation of security clearances was circulated by former acting CIA Director Michael Morrell at the request of then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Gabbard confirmed on March 10 that Biden would no longer receive the President’s Daily Brief, a classified intelligence report typically provided to former presidents. She made this announcement in a post on X, as Trending Politics reported.
Besides losing their security clearances, those named in Trump’s memo have also had their unescorted access to secure U.S. government facilities revoked. Trump clarified in his memo that these individuals would no longer receive classified briefings or have access to intelligence from any U.S. agency.
Additionally, Trump directed government agencies to notify any private entities that granted security clearances to the individuals in question. These private entities would be informed that their clearances had been officially revoked by the federal government.
This decision mirrors an action taken by Biden nearly four years ago when he restricted Trump’s access to intelligence briefings. At the time, Biden justified the move by citing Trump’s alleged “erratic behavior” before and after the January 6 Capitol protests.
Biden’s move in 2021 marked the first time a former U.S. president had been cut off from intelligence briefings. Typically, former presidents retain access to classified briefings in case the current administration seeks their advice on national security matters. As of now, former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama still have access to these briefings.
In a 2021 interview with CBS News, Biden falsely referred to the January 6 protests as an “insurrection” and linked Trump’s intelligence restrictions to his supposed instability. He asserted that Trump did not need access to classified intelligence.
Trump’s revocation of security clearances is part of a broader effort to limit access to sensitive government information for individuals he deems adversarial to his administration.
Just days before this move, Trump also ended Secret Service protection for Hunter Biden and Ashley Biden.
