The Trump administration has taken action against former intelligence officials who misled the public in the lead-up to the 2020 election. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced that 51 former intelligence officers who falsely claimed Hunter Biden’s laptop was part of a Russian disinformation campaign have had their security clearances revoked.
Among those stripped of access to classified information are former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, ex-CIA Directors John Brennan, Mike Hayden, and Leon Panetta, as well as former National Security Advisor John Bolton. Additionally, Gabbard revoked clearances for former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Per @POTUS directive, I have revoked security clearances and barred access to classified information for Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, and Andrew Weissman, along with the 51 signers of the Hunter Biden…
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) March 10, 2025
Gabbard’s announcement, made on X, confirmed that these individuals would no longer have access to sensitive intelligence. She also revealed that former President Joe Biden would no longer receive the President’s Daily Brief, cutting off his access to classified national security updates.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has taken action to strip security clearances from several Biden Administration officials, including Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan, as well as high-profile prosecutors of Donald Trump, like Letitia James and Alvin Bragg. pic.twitter.com/GnUMuVh1LD
— Jordan Sekulow (@JordanSekulow) March 12, 2025
The move follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office. The directive called for an assessment of intelligence officials who may have inappropriately influenced domestic elections and recommended disciplinary measures. Those who signed the letter dismissing Hunter Biden’s laptop as a foreign plot played a central role in suppressing critical information before the 2020 election.
Tulsi Gabbard, the newly appointed Head of National Intelligence of the United States, is on the Ukrainian Myrotvorets kill list, and has been on it since 2022.
How long will the US State Department allow this list targeting journalists, politicians and even children to exist? pic.twitter.com/XX6GhBRH3c
— Olga Bazova (@OlgaBazova) February 5, 2025
In the years since, some of these officials have attempted to walk back their claims. Clapper has insisted that the letter was “distorted,” while former CIA official Douglas Wise later admitted that he and others knew the laptop’s contents were likely authentic but signed the letter anyway.
Yanked! Tulsi Gabbard revokes security clearances for big-name Democrats https://t.co/NOoTvlp8dz via @worldnetdaily
AMAZING!
clearly 77 million Americans disagreed with Biden's insane orders, and restored Trump to the White House, where Trump now gets daily intelligence…— BRANDON PRINGLE (@BPRINGLE2024) March 12, 2025
Gabbard has made it clear that accountability within the intelligence community is a priority. Last month, she revoked the security clearances of over 100 individuals at the National Security Agency for inappropriate conduct on internal communications platforms.
