U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that he is withdrawing former President Joe Biden’s access to government secrets and halting the daily intelligence briefings he receives.
Trump revealed his choice in a social media post shortly after arriving at his Mar-a-Lago estate and private club in Palm Beach for the weekend.
He said “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 wrote.
“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.”
Trump had previously revoked security clearances from more than four dozen former intelligence officials who signed a 2020 letter saying that the Hunter Biden laptop saga bore the hallmarks of a “Russian information operation.”
He’s also revoked security details assigned to protect former government officials who have criticised him, including his own former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, who faces threats from Iran, and former infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.
The former U.S President ended Trump’s intelligence briefings after Trump helped spur efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and incited the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
At the time, Biden said Trump’s “erratic” behaviour should prevent him from getting the intel briefings.
