Move FM Global News

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration announced this week that it has revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials, marking the latest move in a campaign widely seen as targeting critics within the federal intelligence community.

In a memo, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard accused those on the list of “politicizing or weaponizing intelligence” for partisan or personal gain, mishandling classified information, and failing to uphold professional analytic standards. The memo also cited unspecified “detrimental” conduct but did not provide evidence for any of the allegations.

Many of the officials affected had left government service years ago after holding both high-level and lower-profile positions. Several had been involved in issues that long angered Trump, such as the intelligence community’s assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to support his candidacy. Others had drawn Trump’s ire by signing a 2019 letter critical of him, which resurfaced recently on social media through right-wing activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer.

The revocations reflect the administration’s broader effort to use government power against perceived adversaries and highlight Trump’s ongoing distrust of career intelligence professionals, whom he has often cast as working against him. Critics warn that targeting former officials in this way could discourage independent voices in an intelligence system that depends on diverse perspectives.

“These are unlawful and unconstitutional decisions that run counter to decades-old protections designed to prevent exactly this kind of abuse,” said national security lawyer Mark Zaid, whose clearance was also revoked. He called it hypocritical for the administration to accuse others of politicizing intelligence.

Gabbard, defending the move as being directed by Trump, argued that clearances are a privilege, not a right. “Those in the Intelligence Community who betray their oath to the Constitution and put their interests ahead of the American people have broken the sacred trust they promised to uphold,” she wrote on X.

The announcement comes as Trump allies revisit the 2017 intelligence assessment on Russian election interference. The administration has sought to declassify older documents in an attempt to cast doubt on the finding that Russia mounted a sweeping effort to sway the election, including hacking Democratic emails and running a social media campaign. Multiple bipartisan investigations have affirmed the original conclusion, though Trump has consistently rejected the idea that Moscow acted on his behalf.

The revocations could have real-world consequences: while current officials need clearances for their jobs, many former officials also rely on them for private-sector roles that require access to sensitive information. For some, losing clearance could jeopardize their livelihoods.

This is not the first time Trump has used clearance revocations as a political weapon. On his first day in office, he announced he would strip clearances from more than 50 former intelligence officials who had signed a 2020 letter describing the Hunter Biden laptop story as resembling a Russian disinformation campaign. He has also revoked the clearances of former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, and even attempted—unsuccessfully, after court challenges—to do the same to lawyers at several prominent firms.

Some of the newly targeted individuals had served on Biden’s national security team. Two former officials, speaking anonymously, said they only learned of the action through media reports and are now considering legal options.