Trump Cancels Biden's Security Clearance And Cuts Off Access To Intelligence Briefings

President Donald Trump stated that he would take immediate action to deny former President Joe Biden access to intelligence information.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "There is no reason for Joe Biden to keep receiving access to classified information. As a result, we are immediately revoking his security clearances and halting his daily intelligence briefings."

He established this precedent in 2021 when he directed the intelligence community (IC) to prevent the 45th president of the United States (me!) from receiving national security details, a courtesy typically extended to former presidents.

It needs to be mentioned that Biden revoked Trump's intelligence briefings after Trump played a role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and incited the January 6 Capitol attack. At the time, Biden stated that Trump's "erratic" behavior made him unfit to receive such briefings.

Traditionally, former presidents continue to receive occasional intelligence briefings even after leaving office.

Trump was charged in June 2023 with mishandling classified material after leaving office. He pleaded not guilty, and a Florida judge he had appointed later dismissed the case. Under the Biden administration, the Justice Department attempted to appeal the ruling, but shortly after Trump's second term began, his administration dropped the appeal, effectively ending the case.

Trump also pointed to a 2024 report by former special counsel Robert Hur, who described Biden's memory as "poor." Hur's remarks were part of his report outlining the reasoning behind his decision not to charge Biden for mishandling classified documents. Special counsel Robert Hur conducted an investigation into Biden's handling of classified information and concluded that criminal charges were not necessary. However, the report was strongly critical of how Biden managed sensitive government records. It described Biden's memory as being "hazy," "fuzzy," "faulty," and "poor," with significant limitations. The report also highlighted that Biden had trouble recalling important moments in his own life, including the death of his son Beau and his time as vice president.

Trump's action is the most recent in a series of retaliatory moves in Washington, a strategy he promised during his campaign.

He has previously stripped security clearances from more than 40 former intelligence officials who signed a 2020 letter claiming the Hunter Biden laptop issue had the characteristics of a "Russian information operation."

He has also removed security details for former government officials who criticized him, such as his former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and former infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.