Donald Trump has followed through on his pledge to revoke Joe Biden’s security clearance. A memo issued late Friday outlined Trump’s instructions to rescind the security clearances of Biden, several members of his administration, and other political rivals.
Trump stated that it was “no longer in the national interest” for these individuals to maintain “any active security clearance” or “unescorted” access to government facilities. The memo specified that this action includes, but isn’t limited to, receiving classified briefings like the President’s Daily Brief, and accessing classified information held by any member of the Intelligence Community due to their previous roles.
The action affects Biden and his family members. Others on the list include former Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s opponent in the 2024 election, as well as Hillary Clinton, Antony Blinken, Jacob Sullivan, and Lisa Monaco.
Also included are New York Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger—Republicans who served on the January 6th Committee. These individuals will also have their security privileges revoked.
The memo extends to whistleblower lawyer Mark Zaid, Fiona Hill, Norman Eisen, Alexander Vindman, and Andrew Weissmann. Vindman responded by stating he isn’t concerned about Trump’s actions regarding a security clearance that hasn’t been active for five years.
It appears some of the individuals on Trump’s memo had their clearances revoked earlier in the month by the new Director of National Intelligence.
What does “security clearance” mean?
Security clearance determines whether someone can access “classified national security information.” Government employees’ access levels are determined by their job functions through background checks and vetting.
The President, Vice President, and members of Congress gain major security clearance privileges through their election, rather than vetting.
There are three levels of security clearance: “confidential,” “secret,” and “top secret.”
Former Presidents and officials often receive access to classified information as a courtesy. However, in 2021, Biden revoked Trump’s security clearance citing his behavior surrounding the January 6th Capitol riot.
Trump had announced his intention to revoke Biden’s security clearance on February 7th, stating there was no need for Biden to continue receiving access to classified information. He declared he was immediately revoking Biden’s clearances and stopping his daily intelligence briefings.
On March 17th, Trump announced he was revoking clearances for Biden’s adult children, and earlier this year, the Administration reportedly revoked the clearances of Mike Pompeo and John Bolton.