President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he had revoked the security clearances of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Liz Cheney, Hillary Clinton, and several other political figures, citing their involvement in partisan attacks and conspiracy theories against his administration.
“I have determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information: Antony Blinken, Jacob Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Andrew Weissmann, Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Cheney, Kamala Harris, Adam Kinzinger, Fiona Hill, Alexander Vindman, Joseph R. Biden Jr., and any other member of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s family,” Trump stated in a White House memo.
This decision follows an announcement by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard just weeks earlier that several individuals named in the memo would lose their security clearances and no longer have access to classified materials. A similar measure was taken against the 51 former intelligence officials who signed a letter falsely claiming that the Hunter Biden laptop story was “Russian disinformation.”
The memo was reportedly circulated by former acting CIA Director Michael Morrell at the request of former Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Gabbard confirmed the decision in a March 10 post on X, stating, “The President’s Daily Brief is no longer being provided to former President Biden.”
Beyond the revocation of their security clearances, the individuals named in Trump’s memo have also lost their “unescorted access to secure United States Government facilities.” Trump elaborated in the memo, stating, “This action includes, but is not limited to, receipt of classified briefings, such as the President’s Daily Brief, and access to classified information held by any member of the Intelligence Community by virtue of the named individuals’ previous tenure in Congress.”
Trump’s memo also directed that if any of the listed individuals had obtained a security clearance through employment with a private entity, the relevant U.S. government agency should notify the entity that their clearance had been revoked.
The decision to revoke Biden’s access to intelligence briefings comes nearly four years after Biden took similar action against Trump, citing his “erratic behavior” before and after the January 6 Capitol protests. This marked the first time a former president was denied access to intelligence briefings, which are traditionally provided as a courtesy in case the sitting president wishes to seek advice from a predecessor. Currently, former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama continue to receive these briefings.
During a February 2021 interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, Biden characterized the January 6 Capitol protests as an “insurrection” and justified his decision by citing Trump’s alleged “erratic behavior.” He stated, “I just think that there is no need for him to have the intelligence briefings.”
Trump’s latest action also follows his recent decision to end Secret Service protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden. While former presidents and their spouses receive lifelong protection under federal law, security for other family members is typically discontinued once they leave office. Both Trump and Biden had previously extended these protections for their children after their presidencies.
