Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Tuesday that she will be revoking security clearances for 37 current and former intel officials for allegedly abusing the public’s trust by manipulating information and conducting political activities.
The officials on Gabbard’s list includes former top aides to Obama Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who was involved with a discredited intelligence assessment that claimed Russia favored once-and-current President Donald Trump to win the 2016 election over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Gabbard has accused the 37 officials accused of politicizing and weaponizing intelligence, failing to safeguard classified information, or other instances of failing to follow standards.
“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 said in a statement.
“In doing so, they undermine our national security, the safety and security of the American people and the foundational principles of our democratic republic.”
The New York Post first reported on Gabbard’s move.
Former Clapper aides Vinh Nguyen and Stephanie O’Sullivan both helped create the 2017 intel assessment reportedly ordered by former President Barack Obama before the end of his term.
Gabbard’s office has declassified records showing how Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former FBI Director James Comey played leading roles in developing the 2017 intelligence assessment. For their actions, Gabbard referred the Obama administration officials to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution in July. In a rare public statement, Obama rejected Gabbard’s assertion that he spearheaded a “treasonous” conspiracy to perpetuate false claims that Trump and the Russians colluded during his 2016 presidential campaign.
The Justice Department launched a grand jury investigation earlier this month into the former top Obama administration officials for their role in pushing the Russian collusion claims. Obama’s ties to Russiagate falsehoods was previously known, but the records Gabbard released showed how the Obama administration orchestrated the January 2017 intelligence assessment that claimed Russia assisted Trump in 2016.
Seeking accountability, Gabbard has called for indictments for the top intelligence officials responsible for kick-starting the Russiagate scandal that consumed Trump’s first term, even though its core allegations proved to be false.
Gabbard’s list of 37 officials features several signatories to a statement supporting House Democrats’ 2019 impeachment inquiry into Trump, which resulted in his first impeachment in 2020. It includes several national security officials from the Obama and Biden administrations, the last two Democratic administrations, which lasted a combined twelve years.
“This is why, at @POTUS‘ direction, @ODNIgov directed the revocation of the security clearances of 37 current and former intelligence professionals who have abused the public trust by politicizing and manipulating intelligence, leaking classified intelligence without authorization, and/or committing intentional egregious violations of tradecraft standard,” Gabbard added.
Her office publicized a memo that her office crafted to announce the revocation of security clearances. For all of the intelligence officials, their access to classified information and systems will end, and their contracts with the U.S. government will be terminated.
The Trump administration previously revoked the security clearances of 51 former intelligence officials who falsely claimed that the Hunter Biden laptop story had the hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign in October 2020. Trump also removed the security clearances held by past political opponents including the three Democratic candidates he ran against for president, two of whom he defeated.