Trump cancels Biden clearance for classified briefings
Washington: US President Donald Trump has revoked security clearance for his predecessor President Joe Biden, which will prevent the latter from receiving classified briefings in an apparent tit-for-tat for his own 2021 rebuff.
“There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information,” President Trump wrote on Friday on Truth Social, a social media platform he owns.
“Therefore, we are immediately revoking Joe Biden’s Security Clearances, and stopping his daily Intelligence Briefings.”
President Trump made clear his reasons immediately.
“He set this precedent in 2021 when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents.”
“The Hur Report revealed that Biden suffers from “poor memory” and, even in his “prime”, could not be trusted with sensitive information. I will always protect our National Security,” he wrote further, referring to US Attorney Robert Hur’s damaging 2024 investigation report on Biden’s handling of classified documents.
“JOE, YOU’RE FIRED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
US Presidents continue to receive classified briefings but at a drastically reduced frequency than their days in the White House and mostly need-based when sought by them before foreign strips, speeches dealing with foreign policy and relations, or interactions with foreign leaders.
President Biden terminated his predecessor President Trump’s security clearance or these briefings shortly after taking office in 2021 on account of the latter’s role in the January 7 attack on the US Capitol to prevent a joint sitting of US Congress from certifying Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
“What value is there in giving him an intelligence briefing,” Biden had said in an interview with CBS News then.
Trump has had a chilly relationship with his predecessors, both Democratic and Republican. But he did not block President Barack Obama from receiving intelligence briefings.
Trump’s administration has removed the security clearances of dozens of critics and rivals since taking office on January 20.
They include Mark Milley, a retired army general who privately described the Republican as “fascist to the core”, and more than 50 former Intelligence officials who signed a letter that wrongly suggested that emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop were part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
Trump has also cancelled the security details of past colleagues who have fallen out of his favour, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former National Security Adviser John Bolton.