Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Monday a security clearance review that resulted in the revocations of security clearances for dozens of current and former officials.
Gabbard said in a social media post that the security clearance purge targeted top aides to former President Joe Biden, former intelligence personnel who called a 2020 effort to expose information from Hunter Biden’s laptop “disinformation,” and some who were involved in legal cases against President Trump.
“I have revoked security clearances and barred access to classified information for Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, and Andrew Weissman, along with the 51 signers of the Hunter Biden ‘disinformation’ letter,” Gabbard wrote. “The President’s Daily Brief is no longer being provided to former President Biden.”
The revocations are the latest in a campaign that began shortly after Mr. Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration to punish and cut off access to a broad swath of people who the president alleges “weaponized” the nation’s court systems against him.
This effort has included revocations of security clearance for staff at law firms that contracted with former special counsel Jack Smith and others who advocated for cases against Mr. Trump, such as attorney Andrew Weissmann — who was part of the team led by Robert Mueller that investigated alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election — and Mark Zaid, an attorney who previously represented a whistleblower connected to Mr. Trump’s first impeachment.
Zaid directed a social media post at Gabbard after her announcement.
“Hmmm, so where are my due process protections? You are familiar with Executive Order 12,968, are you not? Still in effect!” Zaid said, referring to a 1995 presidential order establishing a security program for federal employees who work with classified information.
A spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James pointed to CBS News to a statement released more than a month ago, when Mr. Trump first announced his plans to claw back security clearances.
“What security clearance?” the spokesperson asked. “Anyway, this is just another attempt to distract from the real work the Attorney General is doing to defend the rights of New Yorkers and all Americans.”
James’s office took Mr. Trump to court in 2023, securing a civil judgment that found him liable for fraud and required him to pay nearly half a billion to New York State. Mr. Trump has appealed the judgment.
In the weeks since Mr. Trump’s return to office, James and other Democratic state attorneys general have filed a steady stream of lawsuits challenging a litany of Mr. Trump’s executive orders and policies.
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at [email protected] or [email protected]
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