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The Trump administration has revoked the security clearances of several senior officials from the Biden era, including former Secretary of State Antony Blinken and former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, effectively barring their access to classified information.
The move was announced by U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, who confirmed that the action was taken on the directive of President Donald Trump. Other officials who have had their clearances revoked include former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Norman Eisen, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and American attorney Andrew Weissman. Additionally, the 51 individuals who signed the Hunter Biden “disinformation” letter have also been stripped of their clearances.
“Per @POTUS directive, I have revoked security clearances and barred access to classified information for Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, and Andrew Weissman, along with the 51 signers of the Hunter Biden ‘disinformation’ letter. The President’s Daily Brief is no longer being provided to former President Biden,” Gabbard stated in a post on X.
This follows an earlier decision on February 8, when the White House announced that President Trump was revoking Joe Biden’s security clearances and halting his daily intelligence briefings. The official White House account on X confirmed the decision, quoting Trump: “There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information. Therefore, we are immediately revoking @JoeBiden’s Security Clearances, and stopping his daily Intelligence Briefings.”
Joe Biden’s Security Clearances
Trump elaborated on the decision in a post on Truth Social, stating, “There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information. Therefore, we are immediately revoking Joe Biden’s Security Clearances, and stopping his daily Intelligence Briefings. He set this precedent in 2021 when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents. The Hur Report revealed that Biden suffers from ‘poor memory’ and, even in his ‘prime,’ could not be trusted with sensitive information. I will always protect our National Security — JOE, YOU’RE FIRED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
CNN reports that former presidents typically do not hold security clearances. While in office, they have unrestricted access to classified information, but once they leave, they no longer retain such privileges. Trump’s move to revoke Biden’s intelligence access mirrors a similar decision made by Biden in 2021 when he restricted Trump’s access to national security briefings, citing concerns over Trump’s “erratic behavior” before and after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Trump further pointed to former special counsel Robert Hur’s report, which noted Biden’s memory issues and questioned his ability to handle sensitive information. The revocation of clearances underscores the ongoing political tensions between the two administrations and marks another significant step by Trump in reshaping intelligence access policies.
(With ANI Inputs)
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