Tulsi Gabbard Revokes Security Clearances of Biden, Kamala, Hillary Clinton, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Fiona Hill and Alexander Vindman
On Friday evening, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revealed via social media that she had revoked the security clearances of numerous prominent political figures, including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Fiona Hill, and Alexander Vindman.
This decision came in the wake of a memo issued by President Donald Trump, who had declared that certain individuals no longer had a “national interest” in accessing classified information. Gabbard confirmed that, per Trump’s directive, she had followed through on stripping these key figures of their security clearances.
Per @POTUS directive, I have revoked former President Joe Biden’s security clearance, and revoked clearances and access to classified information for Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Fiona Hill, and Alexander Vindman.
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) March 28, 2025
Biden, Harris, and Clinton are notable for having been Democratic presidential nominees during Trump’s three successful election campaigns. Alongside them, Cheney and Kinzinger, both former Republican members of Congress, were outspoken critics of Trump.
They also served on the Democrat-led January 6 committee, making them frequent targets of the former president’s ire. Cheney lost her seat in a 2022 primary, while Kinzinger chose not to seek re-election.
Fiona Hill and Alexander Vindman were two key witnesses during Trump’s first impeachment trial, where they testified about his actions surrounding Ukraine. Their involvement in the impeachment process made them highly controversial figures within the Trump administration.
The initial memo from Trump also referenced other individuals whose clearances may have been revoked, although Gabbard did not provide further details about their cases, according to the Western Journal.
In Trump’s March 22 order, the White House outlined that the affected individuals would no longer have access to classified briefings, including the President’s Daily Brief, nor any information from the intelligence community.
Private entities that had granted these individuals security clearances were advised to inform them of the revocation. Trump’s order was clear: these individuals’ ties to government positions no longer justified continued access to sensitive materials.
This move by Gabbard aligns with Trump’s previous actions regarding security clearances, including his decision to withhold such access from Biden after he took office.
Biden’s refusal to grant Trump access to briefings was based on concerns about his behavior surrounding the January 6th Capitol riot. In response, Trump had previously indicated that there was no need for Biden to receive briefings, suggesting that the tradition of extending such access to former presidents could be reconsidered.
Historically, former presidents have often received occasional briefings as a courtesy and to facilitate bipartisan cooperation in times of crisis. However, this tradition was broken when Biden withheld access from Trump.
The New York Times noted that while these briefings have symbolic value, they rarely have substantive impact. This precedent has sparked debate about whether former presidents should retain access to classified materials, particularly when political tensions run high.
Gabbard’s actions represent a direct response to Trump’s broader initiative to limit access to classified information for former officials he deems unsupportive or adversarial to his administration.
It remains unclear whether Gabbard will continue to make public announcements about additional individuals who may have lost their clearances as a result of Trump’s directive. As of Saturday morning, no official press release had been issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, leaving many questions unanswered.
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