Trump revokes security clearances of former top Biden officials

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Monday that President Donald Trump ordered the revocation of the security clearances and access to classified information of some of former Joe Biden's officials.

Former officials affected

According to the statement published by Gabbard on X, the measure affects Antony Blinken, former secretary of state; Jake Sullivan, former national security advisor; Lisa Monaco, former deputy attorney general. It also includes Letitia James, New York attorney general, and Alvin Bragg, Manhattan district attorney, both known for leading legal proceedings against Trump. Also, the security clearances of lawyers Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen and Andrew Weissmann were revoked. In addition, the move covers the 51 former intelligence officials who, in 2020, signed a letter stating that Hunter Biden's laptop emails bore "all the classic hallmarks of a Russian intelligence operation."

Biden does not receive intelligence briefings

Gabbard noted that former President Biden no longer receives a daily intelligence briefing. This isafter Trump argued that he should no longer have access to sensitive government data because of concerns about his ability to handle it responsibly.

"There is no need for Joe Biden to continue to receive access to classified information. Therefore, we will immediately revoke his security clearances and suspend his daily intelligence briefings," Trump asserted in the past.

A precedent set in 2021

Access to classified information is under the authority of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and can be revoked at the acting president's discretion. While the withdrawal of clearances from a former president is unusual, Trump justified his decision by noting that Biden set a precedent in 2021 by denying him access to classified information.

At that time, Biden revoked Trump's access to intelligence reports, citing concerns about his behavior following the 2020 election and the events on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6.