Trump revokes Biden’s security clearance in latest retaliatory move

US President Donald Trump has revoked the security clearance of Joe Biden, his predecessor.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said revoking Biden’s security clearance and ending intelligence briefings to the former president is payback for how he was treated in the wake of the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

“There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information. Therefore, we are immediately revoking Joe Biden’s security clearances, and stopping his daily intelligence briefings,” Trump said.

“He 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.”

Former US presidents usually receive intelligence briefings long after leaving office.

REVENGE MISSION

In 2021, Biden ended intelligence briefings to Trump after the then ex-president was accused of inciting the January 6 insurrection.

Biden had pointed at Trump’s “erratic behaviour” as reason for the revocation.

“I just think that there is no need for him to have the intelligence briefings. What value is giving him an intelligence briefing? What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?” Biden had said.

Trump’s decision to revoke Biden’s security clearance is the latest in a revenge tour of Washington as promised during his campaign.

The president has revoked the security clearance of some ex-federal government officials who criticised him — including those of Anthony Fauci, former infectious disease expert; and Mike Pompeo, his former secretary of state.

The US president has also promised to fire some FBI agents who worked on the cases of the January 6 rioters.

“I would fire some of them because they were corrupt. I have no doubt about that,” Trump said.

“I got to know a lot about that business and that world. We had some corrupt agents and those people are gone or they would be gone. And it would be done quickly and very surgically.”

Trump previously revoked security clearances of more than 50 former intelligence officials. They had signed a letter in 2020 wherein it was stated that the Hunter Biden laptop saga bore the imprimatur of a “Russian information operation”.

In a pre-emptive move, Biden issued an unconditional pardon for Hunter in December. The departing president had also pardoned his siblings and their spouses in a bid to keep them away from Trump’s vengeful grasp.

The US president is offering Biden-era federal employees a “buyout plan” — which would see them embark on compulsory paid leave till September or risk being fired.

Trump has vowed to shrink the size of the federal workforce and save millions of dollars in taxpayer funds, a task he is carrying out alongside Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO.