In his latest act of retribution, President Trump has revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials. The list released Tuesday includes people with backgrounds in Russia analysis and foreign interference in US elections, the New York Times reports. They include Shelby Pierson, a former Trump administration official known for warning Congress about Russian interference in the 2020 election, and Vinh X. Nguyen, a National Security Agency data scientist, according to a memo from the office of the director of national intelligence. Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said those losing clearances were involved in the "politicization or weaponization of intelligence."
For some on the list, the loss of clearance means removal from their jobs, while for others, it complicates their ability to advise on national security as consultants. The move is part of an ongoing effort led by Gabbard, who has questioned the credibility of intelligence on Russian operations during the 2016 election—a stance Trump has praised. Gabbard's office also cited failures in safeguarding classified material, though the memo does not provide evidence of wrongdoing by those named. Democrats and others see the move as a political maneuver to divert attention from other issues, including the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The Trump administration has previously stripped people including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris of their clearances, but this latest action represents a broader sweep affecting a larger segment of the intelligence community. "These are unlawful and unconstitutional decisions that deviate from well-settled, decades-old laws and policies that sought to protect against just this type of action," Mark Zaid, a national security lawyer whose own clearance was revoked by the Trump administration, said in a statement, per the AP.
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