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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
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President Donald Trump made a national security decision that has shocked some because it is not a common practice.
On Friday, he revoked the security clearances of several former high-ranking government officials in a move he said was necessary to protect the country. He had previously taken away the security clearance of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, in a highly unusual move.
The president issued the memorandum on the official White House website:
“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. Therefore, I hereby direct every executive department and agency head to take all additional action as necessary and consistent with existing law to revoke any active security clearances held by the aforementioned individuals and to immediately rescind their access to classified information. I also direct all executive department and agency heads to revoke unescorted access to secure United States Government facilities from these individuals,” the president said.
“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 the Congress,” he said.
“In the event that any of the named individuals received a security clearance by virtue of their employment with a private entity, the United States Government entity that granted the security clearance should inform the private entity that these individuals’ ability to access classified information has been revoked,” President Trump said.
In February in an announcement on the Truth Social platform, the president announced he was pulling daily intelligence briefings for Biden after determining that the former president’s alleged state of mind makes him a national security risk. He has also revoked the 46th president’s security clearance.
“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,” Trump wrote, adding that Biden did the same to him shortly after he took office.
“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,” Trump continued.
“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!” he added.
Trump was referencing former Special Counsel Robert Hur, who submitted a report on Biden’s alleged improper retention of classified records, which highlighted the former president’s frequent memory lapses and contradicted his earlier claims.
In March, Hur testified that he found evidence suggesting that “pride and money” were factors motivating Biden to retain classified documents. Despite these findings, Hur did not recommend criminal charges against the then-sitting president, Fox News noted.