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Defending the decision, Tulsi Gabbard wrote on X, “Being entrusted with a security clearance is a privilege, not a right.”
US DNI Tulsi Gabbard (Reuters Image)
The Donald Trump administration revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials, according to a memo posted by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. In the memo, shared on X (formerly Twitter), Tulsi Gabbard accused the officials of engaging in the “politicization or weaponization of intelligence” to advance partisan goals, failing to safeguard classified material and neglecting professional standards.
Who Are In The List Of Officials Stripped Of Security Clearances?
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The list includes former officials who left government service years ago, some of whom worked on matters that have long angered Donald Trump- including the intelligence community’s 2017 assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit him. Several of the officials also signed a 2019 letter critical of Donald Trump that was circulated online last month by conservative activist Laura Loomer.
The action reflects Donald Trump’s longstanding distrust of career intelligence officers as during his first term, he stripped former CIA director John Brennan of his clearance and since returning to office has also revoked those of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton.
Decision Criticised, Tulsi Gabbard Defends
National security lawyer Mark Zaid, who said his own clearance was revoked, called the latest move “unlawful and unconstitutional”. He said, “These decisions deviate from well-settled, decades-old laws and policies that sought to protect against just this type of action.” He described the administration’s rationale as “hypocritical”, arguing it was Donald Trump officials who had politicised intelligence.
Defending the decision, Tulsi Gabbard wrote on X, “Being entrusted with a security clearance is a privilege, not a right. Those in the Intelligence Community who betray their oath to the Constitution and put their own interests ahead of the American people have broken the sacred trust they promised to uphold.”
- Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
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