President Donald Trump has revoked security clearances for his former Democratic election rivals, Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton, along with several other high-ranking former officials. This follows his earlier decision in February to revoke the security clearance of his predecessor, Joe Biden, which he reaffirmed in this latest announcement. Trump also stated that security clearances for “any other member” of the Biden family were being revoked.
In his memorandum, Trump declared that allowing these individuals to access classified information was no longer in the national interest. Traditionally, former presidents and top security officials retain their clearances as a courtesy.
Among those affected by the decision are former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former Republican lawmakers Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, and Fiona Hill, a former Russian affairs adviser in Trump’s first administration. Other names on the list include Jake Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Andrew Weissmann, and Alexander Vindman.
Previously, Trump also revoked the security clearances of more than four dozen former intelligence officials, accusing them—without evidence—of interfering in the 2020 election to support Biden. In contrast, in 2021, then-President Biden had barred Trump from receiving intelligence briefings, citing concerns over his “erratic behavior.”
