Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced that President Trump has revoked security clearances for 37 intelligence officials. In a memo posted to her X account, Gabbard said the intelligence officials are accused of “politicizing or weaponizing intelligence” to advance partisan agendas rather than serving national security interests.
“Being entrusted with a security clearance is a privilege, not a right. Those in the Intelligence Community who betray their oath to the Constitution and put their own interests ahead of the interests of the American people have broken the sacred trust they promised to uphold,” Gabbard wrote on X.
The memo listed individuals from agencies like the CIA, NSA, State Department, and National Security Council. According to Gabbard, the 37 current and former intelligence officials bypassed standard protocols in order to fast-track the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Some of the officials named on the list are Stephanie O’Sullivan, former principal deputy director of national intelligence; Dilpreet K. Sidhu, deputy mayor of international affairs; Richard H. Ledgett, former NSA deputy director; and Luke R. Hartig, former senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council.
The intelligence individuals will no longer have “access to classified systems, facilities, materials, and information,” according to the memo. “Any contracts or employments with the U.S. government by these 37 individuals is hereby terminated. Any credentials held by these individuals must be surrendered to the appropriate security officers.”
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Broader political context and legal pushback
The Trump administration’s actions, critics say, are part of a larger effort to use government power against perceived opponents, reflecting the president’s ongoing distrust of longtime intelligence officials he believes are not aligned with him, the Associated Press reports.
“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that sought to protect against just this type of action,” Mark Zaid, a national security lawyer whose own clearance was revoked by the Trump administration, said in a statement, as reported by the Associated Press.
Ongoing investigations
In July, Fox News exclusively reported that Gabbard accused the Obama administration of allegedly “manufacturing and politicizing” intelligence to push the narrative that Russia, at the direction of Trump, interfered in the 2016 election. Trump has consistently rejected claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin interfered to help him win the 2016 election.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation did not establish that the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government. However, the investigation found that the Trump campaign “expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts,” the report read.
The Justice Department, under direction from Attorney General Pam Bondi, has authorized a grand jury investigation to determine whether officials from the Obama administration may have violated the law in their handling of intelligence related to Russia’s alleged efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.
