Tulsi Gabbard revokes security clearances of top Biden administration officials

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard announced on Monday (Mar 10) that she has revoked the security clearances of dozens of former national security officials.

In a social media post, Gabbard said that she stripped security clearances of top Biden aides and those who pursued cases against Trump under the president's directive. The names included former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and former US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, who oversaw the prosecution of Trump supporters following the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

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“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,” she wrote on X.

Former officials stripped of security clearances

Soon after returning to the White House for his second term in January this year, Trump said in executive orders and social media posts that those involved in cases against him would be stripped of their security clearances.

The list of such officials includes New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who led an investigation into Trump’s alleged criminal and business wrongdoings and felony charges. Other legal rivals include former Ambassador to the Czech Republic Norm Eisen and former FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann, who also had their security clearances removed.

The recent move reflects the Trump administration’s unprecedented use of security clearances against political opponents.

Biden's access to the President's Daily Brief removed

Although former presidents are typically allowed to receive the brief after leaving office, former president Joe Biden will no longer receive the President’s Daily Brief, as announced by Trump earlier. Biden had also suspended Trump’s access to the briefings in 2021.

“The President's Daily Brief is no longer being provided to former President Biden,” Gabbard said on X.

In February, Biden’s security clearances were revoked by Trump. The president has also removed the clearances for lawyers at Covington & Burling, the firm that commissioned the “Steele Dossier”, a controversial report against Trump’s foreign business dealings. Clearances have also been removed for some Republican critics, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

(With inputs from agencies)