U.S. President Donald Trump has revoked security clearances—an action granting individuals access to classified or sensitive information—from several of his former Democratic rivals, including Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton, as well as a number of other high-ranking former officials.
This decision follows Trump’s announcement in February that he was revoking the security clearance of his predecessor, Joe Biden. In a recent memorandum, he confirmed this move and also stated that he was revoking the clearances for “any other member” of the Biden family.
“I have decided that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to have access to classified information,” Trump’s memorandum read.
Former U.S. presidents and senior security officials typically retain their security clearances as a courtesy, as reported by BBC.
Also included on the list of those losing their security clearances were former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Republican former lawmakers Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, and Fiona Hill, a former Russia advisor during Trump’s first administration.
Other names on the list included Jake Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Andrew Weissmann, and Alexander Vindman.
Earlier, Trump had revoked security clearances for dozens of former intelligence officials whom he accused of interfering in the 2020 election in Biden’s favor without providing evidence.
In 2021, President Biden, while in office, barred his defeated rival Trump from accessing intelligence briefings, citing his “erratic behavior.”
