In a presidential memo issued late Friday, President Donald Trump revoked security clearances for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and a number of other prominent Democrats and political foes.
“I have determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information,” Mr. Trump wrote.
He went on to name 15 opponents and Biden-era officials, including Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, New York Attorney General Letitia James, who prosecuted Trump for fraud, and former President Biden’s entire family.
It is unclear what formal security clearance some of the individuals named in the memo possessed. Trump had already announced his intention to revoke Biden’s security clearance in February, and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard confirmed on March 10 that she had revoked access for Blinken, James, and others per Trump’s directive.
Barring Biden from intelligence briefings is a retaliatory move after he barred Trump from accessing classified documents in 2021, claiming he couldn’t be trusted due to his “erratic behavior.”
Former presidents have historically been briefed on specific issues and given access to sensitive information as a courtesy, despite the fact that they frequently lack formal security clearance.
Trump stated in his memo on Friday that he would “direct all executive department and agency heads to revoke unescorted access to secure United States Government facilities from these individuals.”
The intelligence-gathering ban permits “access to classified information held by any member of the Intelligence Community by virtue of the named individuals’ previous tenure in the Congress.”
Earlier this week, Trump announced that he would remove Secret Service protection for Biden’s children, Hunter and Ashley, “effective immediately.” His critics slammed his decision to terminate their security details as an attempt to exact revenge on a former rival.
