President Donald Trump made a controversial national security decision that has raised eyebrows due to its uncommon nature. On Friday, he rescinded the security clearances of several former high-ranking officials, asserting that this action was essential for the nation’s protection. Previously, he had also stripped his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, of his security clearance, marking another unusual decision. The president published a memorandum on the official White House website stating: ‘I have concluded that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to have access to 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.
Consequently, I hereby instruct every executive department and agency head to take all necessary actions, in accordance with existing law, to revoke any active security clearances held by these individuals and to immediately terminate their access to classified information. I also direct all executive department and agency heads to revoke unescorted access to secure United States Government facilities for these individuals,’ the president stated. ‘This measure encompasses, but is not limited to, the receipt of classified briefings, such as the President’s Daily Brief, and access to classified information held by any member of the Intelligence Community due to the named individuals’ prior service in Congress,’ he added.
‘Should any of the named individuals have obtained a security clearance through their employment with a private entity, the United States Government entity that issued the clearance must notify the private entity that these individuals’ access to classified information has been revoked,’ President Trump concluded.In February, the president declared on the Truth Social platform that he would cease daily intelligence briefings for Biden, citing concerns that the former president’s purported mental state poses a national security threat.
Additionally, he has rescinded Biden’s security clearance. Trump stated, ‘There is no justification for Joe Biden to maintain access to classified information. Consequently, we are promptly revoking his Security Clearances and halting his daily Intelligence Briefings,’ while also noting that Biden had previously taken similar actions against him shortly after assuming office. He remarked, ‘Biden established this precedent in 2021 by directing the Intelligence Community to deny the 45th President of the United States (myself) access to National Security details, a privilege typically extended to former Presidents.’ Trump further referenced the Hur Report, which indicated that Biden experiences ‘poor memory’ and could not be relied upon to handle sensitive information, even at his best. ‘I will always safeguard our National Security — JOE, YOU’RE FIRED.
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’ he concluded. This statement was in relation to former Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, which underscored the former president’s recurrent memory issues and contradicted his previous assertions. In March, Hur testified that he discovered evidence indicating that ‘pride and money’ influenced Biden’s decision to keep classified documents. However, despite these findings, Hur did not advocate for criminal charges against the sitting president, as reported by Fox News.
