Washington (Web Desk): US President Donald Trump, in another controversial move, announced on Friday that he was revoking Joe Biden’s access to classified intelligence, effectively barring him from receiving any future briefings.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to declare that Biden no longer needed to be privy to sensitive government information, invoking the precedent set by Biden’s own actions in 2021.
Back then, Biden had made the decision to strip Trump of intelligence briefings, citing concerns about his unpredictable actions and the risk of compromising national security.
Trump’s decision was framed as a direct response to Biden’s reasoning back then, which suggested that Trump’s behavior was erratic and made him unfit for continued access to classified materials.
At the time, Biden had questioned the value of sharing intelligence with Trump, suggesting that his lack of self-discipline could result in him accidentally disclosing sensitive details.
In his statement, Trump also referenced a report from special counsel Robert Hur, who had been investigating Biden’s handling of classified documents from his vice-presidency.
Trump pointed to Hur’s observations about Biden’s memory issues, arguing that they further demonstrated Biden’s untrustworthiness with sensitive information.
While the special counsel ultimately decided not to pursue criminal charges against Biden, the report’s findings about his cognitive abilities provided ammunition for Trump and his allies to claim that Biden was unsuitable for holding such access.
In his sweeping actions, Trump also revoked the security clearances of various former intelligence officials, many of whom had been outspoken critics of his presidency.
This included figures like former National Security Adviser John Bolton and General Mark Milley, both of whom had been at odds with Trump during his time in office. These moves reflect Trump’s broader strategy to reshape government structures and hold those who opposed him accountable.