In a significant move, US President Donald Trump announced the revocation of Joe Biden’s security clearance and access to daily intelligence briefings. This decision echoes a similar action Biden took against Trump four years prior.
In a recent post on his Truth Social platform, Trump asserted that Joe Biden should no longer have access to classified information.
The Republican declared, “Joe, you’re fired,” invoking his well-known catchphrase from the reality television series The Apprentice.
Former President Trump has taken the significant step of revoking the security clearances of over forty former intelligence officials, whom he has accused of interfering in the 2020 election to benefit President Biden.
On Friday evening, Trump asserted that 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.”
Following a Justice Department inquiry into the Democrat’s handling of classified files, Biden was described as someone “who could not be trusted with sensitive information. ” The investigation found no grounds for criminal charges but noted Biden’s poor memory as a significant concern.
An investigation revealed that President Biden struggled to remember key life events, including the year of his son Beau’s death and the period during which he served as vice president under Barack Obama. Biden dismissed that characterization at the time.
The former president has stepped back from public view since departing from office last month and has yet to respond to Trump’s actions on Friday.
The BBC contacted Biden’s newly signed talent agency, but they did not receive an immediate response.
In 2021, President Biden made the unprecedented decision to deny former President Trump access to classified intelligence briefings. This marked the first instance in which an ex-president was refused such information, a practice typically extended as a courtesy to former leaders.
He defended the decision by asserting that Trump was untrustworthy due to his “erratic behaviour,” a concern that predated the 2021 US Capitol riot, which Democrats alleged Trump incited during the final days of his presidency.
“What is the purpose of providing him with an intelligence briefing?” Biden made the statement at that moment. “What influence does he truly exert, aside from the possibility of inadvertently revealing something?”
In 2022, federal agents uncovered classified documents at Donald Trump‘s residence in Florida, leading to charges of wilfully retaining defence information against him. He pleaded not guilty, and the case was eventually dismissed following his re-election.
Upon his return to office, Trump initiated actions to revoke the security clearances and protections of various high-ranking officials associated with the Biden administration.
Former top US military commander Mark Milley, known for his outspoken criticism of Trump, is among those whose security clearance and detail have been revoked.
The newly appointed Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has initiated an investigation into Milley’s “conduct” and has called for a review of his military rank.
Former President Trump has revoked the security detail assigned to Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser who played a pivotal role in the United States’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the time, Trump characterised the decision as “very standard,” asserting that it was impractical for every government employee to receive lifelong security protection.
Last month, he terminated security protection for his former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and his former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, who were both under Secret Service protection.
The president has taken the significant step of revoking the security clearances of numerous former intelligence officials, including two former CIA directors.
In 2020, a letter was signed asserting that claims regarding a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden, Joe Biden‘s son, were part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
However, the computer, which held a wealth of data revealing instances of drug abuse, prostitution, and international business transactions, was indeed authentic.
