Headline Roundup • February 9th, 2025
Trump Revokes Security Clearances of Biden, Blinken, Other Top Dems
Summary from the AllSides News Team
In retaliation to his own security clearance being revoked by the Biden administration in 2021, President Trump has revoked the security clearance of President Joe Biden and other top Democrats.
The Details: Trump also revoked the clearances of former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and 5 others.
For Context: Shortly after his inauguration in 2021, President Biden instructed the Intelligence Community to stop giving Trump briefings, citing Trump’s “erratic behavior” as the reason. Trump’s Defense Secretary revoked Gen. Mark Milley’s security clearances right after assuming office in late January. Both James and Bragg were involved in legal prosecutions of Trump.
Key Quote: Trump said Biden “set this precedent in 2021, when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents.”
How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum highlighted that former presidents usually continue to receive intelligence briefings and that the people who lost clearances were critical of Trump. Fox News (Right bias) described one official as “anti-Trump.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
President Donald Trump has said he’s revoking Joe Biden’s security clearance and ending the daily intelligence briefings he’s receiving, in payback for Biden doing the same to him in the wake of the January 6 attacks.
Trump announced his decision in a post saying: “There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information. Therefore, we are immediately revoking Joe Biden’s security clearances, and stopping his daily intelligence briefings.
President Donald Trump has revoked security clearances for Antony Blinken, the former secretary of state, and Jake Sullivan, the former national security adviser, White House officials said on Saturday.
The move came a day after Trump said he had revoked the security clearance for his predecessor Joe Biden, stopping his access to daily intelligence briefings.
Trump also revoked security clearances for Biden's Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, who helped coordinate the Department of Justice's response to the January 6, 2021, attacks by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol, the officials said on...
Getty Images
President Donald Trump has decided to remove security clearances for several Democrats, including former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom are vocal Trump critics. Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Biden’s Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and attorneys Andrew Weissmann, Mark Zaid and Norm Eisen. The move comes a day after Trump stripped his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, of his security clearance and his access to presidential daily briefs, which ex-presidents generally "There is no...
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