The Donald Trump administration has revoked the security clearances of several senior officials from the Biden administration, including former Secretary of State Antony Blinken and former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, cutting off their access to classified information.
US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard announced that the move was made following a directive from US President Donald Trump.
Other officials whose clearances have been revoked include former US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, former US Ambassador to the Czech Republic Norman Eisen, New York Attorney General Letitia James,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 signers of the letter referring to Hunter Biden’s alleged “disinformation” were also barred from accessing classified information.
“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 posted on X.
Earlier on February 8, the White House confirmed that President Trump had revoked Joe Biden’s security clearances and halted his daily intelligence briefings.
“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,” the White House posted on X.
On Truth Social, Trump reinforced the decision, 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!”
According to CNN, former presidents typically do not retain security clearances. While sitting presidents have access to all classified information, this access usually ends once they leave office.
Trump’s decision to restrict Biden’s intelligence briefings mirrors the action Biden took against Trump four years earlier, when he limited Trump’s access to national security information following what he called Trump’s “erratic behavior” around the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
In defending his decision, Trump cited former special counsel Robert Hur’s report, which suggested that Biden’s memory issues made him unfit to handle sensitive information even during his prime years.
