President Donald Trump revoked security clearances for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and a string of top Democrats and political foes in a presidential memo late Friday.
“I have determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information,” Trump wrote.
He went on to name a list of 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 and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who prosecuted Trump for fraud, as well as former president Biden’s entire family.
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It is unclear what formal security clearance was possessed by some of the figures named in the memo. Trump had already announced his intention to rescind security clearance for Biden in February, and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard said on March 10 that she had revoked access for Blinken, James and others per Trump’s directive.
Barring Biden from intelligence briefings is a tit-for-tat move after Biden banned Trump from accessing classified documents in 2021, arguing he could not be trusted because of his “erratic behavior.”
In the past, former presidents have been briefed on certain matters and allowed access to sensitive information as a courtesy, though they often have no formal security clearance.
Trump said in his memo Friday that he would also “direct all executive department and agency heads to revoke unescorted access to secure United States Government facilities from these individuals.”
The ban on intelligence includes “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 he was pulling Secret Service protection for Biden’s children, Hunter and Ashley, “effective immediately.” The decision to terminate their security details was panned by his critics as an attempt to exact revenge on an ex-rival.
AP
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