Today at 18:39
US President Donald Trump has revoked the security clearance of several political figures, including his election rivals Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
This is stated in a memorandum published on March 21 on the White House website,
Trump has decided that access to classified materials by Clinton, Harris and at least 12 other influential people is no longer in the “national interest.”
He also revoked the security clearances of former Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
“I am ordering the heads of all executive departments and agencies to take the necessary additional actions, consistent with applicable law, to revoke any existing security clearances of these individuals and to immediately terminate their access to such information. I am also ordering that these individuals be denied the right to enter secure U.S. government facilities unescorted,” Trump said in a statement.
As a result of this decision, former diplomats, lawmakers, and members of President Biden’s family will not have access to classified briefings, including the daily presidential briefing.
He stated that if any of these individuals received a security clearance in connection with their work for a private company, “the U.S. government agency that granted the clearance must notify the private company that the individuals’ access to classified information has been revoked.”
Back in early February, Trump announced that he was “exempting” former White House Chief of Staff Joe Biden from access to intelligence materials provided to former US presidents relating to their cadence.
At the time, he noted that Biden had set this precedent in 2021 when he instructed the Intelligence Community to terminate the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump,’s access to national security details, which “is a courtesy extended to former presidents.”
