In a memo on Friday, President Donald Trump revoked security clearances for former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and several other prominent Democrats. This directive also includes former secretary of state Antony Blinken, ex-congressmembers Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, and New York Attorney General Letitia James. These individuals, including Biden’s entire family, will no longer have access to classified information, which is typically granted to former presidents and certain officials after they leave office.
“I have determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information,” Trump stated in the memo. He also instructed government department heads to revoke their access to secure U.S. government facilities.
Earlier this month, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, also revoked clearances for some of these people. She included several people from Trump’s list and the 51 former intelligence officials who claimed that the Hunter Biden laptop story was a Russian disinformation effort before the 2020 election.
Trump’s move to strip Biden of intelligence briefings comes days after Trump withdrew Secret Service protection for Biden’s children, Hunter and Ashley.
The list of people affected by the clearance revocations includes several of Trump’s political opponents. These include Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who both prosecuted Trump while Biden was in office. Other names include Fiona Hill, a foreign policy expert who testified against Trump during his first impeachment, and Alexander Vindman, a lieutenant colonel who also testified in the hearings. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, Republicans who served on the January 6 committee, were also added.
Trump emphasized that the revocation affects access to classified briefings, including the President’s Daily Brief and any other classified information within the intelligence community.
This decision comes after reports that Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, offered to help fundraise and rebuild the Democratic Party after the loss of Kamala Harris in November. NBC News reported that Biden made this offer last month to the new Democratic National Committee chair, Ken Martin, though it has not yet been accepted.
A recent NBC News poll showed the Democratic Party’s popularity at a record low, with only 27% of registered voters expressing positive views. When asked about the possibility of Biden returning to the political scene, Trump replied, “I hope so.”
