President Donald Trump has signed an executive order revoking the security clearance of 51 former intelligence officials who signed a 2020 letter regarding emails from a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden. The letter suggested that the emails carried 'all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.'
While many of the 51 former officials are retired and no longer hold active clearances, the move signifies Trump's intention to penalize national security and intelligence professionals he views as adversaries. Trump previously stated at a campaign rally that the officials 'should be prosecuted for what they did.'
The letter was signed by prominent figures from both the Obama and Bush administrations, including former director of national intelligence Jim Clapper, former CIA director John Brennan, and former acting CIA directors John McLaughlin and Michael Morell.
Over the past four years, the signatories of the letter have faced scrutiny from Republican lawmakers and supporters of Trump. GOP lawmakers have focused on the origins of the letter, summoning several signatories for closed-door testimonies and issuing reports on the matter.
