Trump administration revokes security clearances of 37 current and former government officials

The US government security clearances of at least 37 current and former national security officials have been revoked by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, in July

Many of whom worked on Russia analysis or foreign threats to U.S. elections, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

In an X post on Tuesday, Gabbard confirmed reports of the action to revoke clearances, writing: “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's office claimed that the people who would lose their security clearances were involved in the "politicization or weaponization of intelligence" to advance partisan agendas, or had failed to adhere to tradecraft practices or to safeguard classified information.

The memo provided no evidence the individuals had mishandled material or used it for partisan purposes.

“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,” said Mark Zaid, a national security attorney whose own security clearance was previously revoked by Trump. “For this administration to claim these individuals politicized or weaponized intelligence blatantly wreaks of hypocrisy. This Administration would make Senator McCarthy proud.”