WASHINGTON (BN24) — The Trump administration on Tuesday revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former government officials, intensifying its campaign against intelligence community figures it has long viewed with suspicion.
The decision, announced in a memo from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, accused the targeted officials of “politicizing or weaponizing intelligence,” mishandling classified information, and failing to uphold professional standards. The memo offered no evidence to substantiate the allegations.
The move affects individuals who once held senior national security positions as well as lower-profile roles, including several who were involved in the intelligence community’s 2017 assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Donald Trump. Others had signed a 2019 letter critical of Trump, which resurfaced on social media last month.
Critics blasted the action as a dangerous escalation. National security lawyer Mark Zaid, whose clearance was also revoked, called it “unlawful and unconstitutional,” arguing that decades-old policies exist to prevent such politically motivated reprisals.
The sweeping measure reflects Trump’s distrust of career intelligence officials, a tension dating back to his earliest days in office. Stripping clearances has become a favored tactic of his administration, raising fears that dissenting voices could be silenced within an intelligence community traditionally valued for diverse viewpoints.
Gabbard defended the decision, writing on X that holding a clearance is “a privilege, not a right,” and that those who “betray their oath to the Constitution” cannot be trusted with access to sensitive information. She said the directive came directly from Trump.
The action also coincides with renewed efforts by Trump administration officials to revisit and discredit the 2017 intelligence findings on Russian election interference. Despite multiple investigations confirming Moscow’s involvement—including hacking Democratic emails and deploying an online disinformation campaign—Trump has consistently rejected the conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to aid him.
The revocations add to a long list of clearance disputes under Trump. On his first day in office, he vowed to strip dozens of former officials who had signed a 2020 letter describing the Hunter Biden laptop saga as resembling a Russian information operation. Trump has also revoked the clearances of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and attempted to target attorneys at major law firms, though courts blocked the latter effort.
For current and former officials alike, the loss of clearance could have significant professional consequences, particularly for those employed in the private sector who require access to classified material. Several of the officials affected by the latest order only learned of the revocation through news reports and are now weighing legal options.
