US President Donald Trump has revoked security clearances for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and other top Democrats and political foes.
In a presidential memo late on Friday evening, Trump named a list of 15 opponents and Biden-era officials, including Hillary Clinton and the New York Attorney General, Letitia James who prosecuted him for fraud.
It is unclear what formal security clearance was possessed by some of the figures named in the memo.
Trump had already announced his intention to rescind security clearance for Biden in February, but in last night’s memo, the entire family of the former president had their clearance removed.
“I have determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information,” Trump wrote in a statement.
The ban on intelligence includes “access to classified information held by any member of the Intelligence Community by virtue of the named individuals’ previous tenure in the Congress.”
Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger also had their security clearances revoked.
Biden (above) previously banned Trump from accessing classified documents in 2021, arguing he could not be trusted because of his “erratic behavior”.
Historically, former presidents have been briefed on certain matters and have been allowed access to sensitive information as a courtesy, although they usually have no formal security clearance.
Trump said in his memo on Friday that he would also “direct all executive department and agency heads to revoke unescorted access to secure United States Government facilities from these individuals.”
Earlier this week, Trump announced he was pulling secret service protection for Biden’s children, Hunter and Ashley, which he said was “effective immediately.”
