Former American President, Mr. Trump, made the sensational move on a Friday night to withdraw security clearances from once respected individuals such as Kamala Harris, ex-Vice President, and previous Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He went further to include members of the Biden administration and several noteworthy Democrats. An action that seems to illustrate Trump’s ongoing struggle against those he suspects responsible for undermining his presidency.
It’s worth highlighting that this wasn’t the first of such moves by Mr. Trump. A month prior, he had rebuffed former President, Joe Biden, in a similar fashion by stripping away his security clearance. And on that fateful Friday, Trump’s memo insinuated a similar fate for the entire Biden family, taking his pugnacious politics to a whole new level.
Additionally, the world witnessed the stripping of security clearances of several other individuals associated with the Democratic reign. These included former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, retired politician Adam Kinzinger, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (Retd.), and even New York’s Attorney General Letitia James.
Others on Trump’s hit list were Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg, former National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, ex-Representative Elizabeth Cheney, and Fiona Hill, who previously served as a White House Russia expert. The purge continued with Lisa Monaco, former Deputy Attorney General, former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Norman Eisen, and attorney Mark Zaid, who notably represented the whistleblower against Trump during his first presidential term.
Quite interestingly, James and Bragg were familiar with the experience, having had their clearances cut off earlier that same month. This action was carried out by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who sought to purge numerous current and former officials’ clearances.
Trump’s Friday memo revolved around cutting off ‘receipt of classified briefings, such as the President’s Daily Brief, and access to classified information held by any member of the Intelligence Community.’ These privileges were previously granted to these individuals due to their tenure in Congress, which now, thanks to Trump, is a thing of the past.
Since stepping into office in January, Trump has launched an unrelenting campaign to revoke the clearances of several officials. His claim is that these individuals unjustly used the intelligence community or legal system against him, illustrating a paranoia that clouds his perspective.
Cheney and Kinzinger, notable figures stripped of their access rights, were instrumental in spearheading the House select committee investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Bragg gained notoriety for his successful litigation against Trump in the New York ‘hush money’ criminal case, negatively impacting Trump’s reputation.
Bragg’s lawsuit resulted in a discrediting felony conviction for Trump, who was charged with 34 state counts of falsification of business records. In yet another blow to Trump’s credibility, James directed a lawsuit against Mr. Trump and the Trump organization, stirring up accusations of widespread fraud.
This legal battle proved lengthy, and in a devastating verdict, a judge ruled against the former president, penalizing him and his former company to the tune of $453 million. It should be noted that such financial malfeasance casts a long shadow on Trump’s claim of being a business savant.
In the subsequent clearance purge, retired Gen. Mark Milley was also caught in the crosshairs. As someone who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump and Biden and fell out of favor with Trump, the retaliation against Milley seemed petty and personal.
Milley ran into trouble for a photo op incident in front of St. John’s Church in June 2020 when, disturbingly, social justice protesters were hastily cleared out from Lafayette Park so Trump could stroll to the church from the White House. Critics see this as an all-too-telling example of Trump’s ability to misuse power for his image.
More controversy around Milley arose after he revealed two phone calls he made to Chinese Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army. These calls were intended to assure the General that the U.S. had no plans for an assault on China and that the country was stable. Naturally, despite Milley’s attempts at maintaining peace, Trump viewed such actions with suspicion.
On his inauguration day, Trump revoked the clearances of numerous ex-intelligence officials who had signed a 2020 letter suggesting that emails discovered on Hunter Biden’s laptop bore signs of a Russian disinformation campaign. This seemed more like an abuse of power than a justified precaution.
John Bolton, who served as the national security adviser during Trump’s initial term, was not spared either. Bolton had his clearance withdrawn following the publication of a book he authored recounting his experiences in the role. Trump accused Bolton of exposing sensitive information, claiming that the book’s publication ‘created a grave risk that classified material was publicly exposed.’ Considering Bolton’s experience and expertise, such an accusation seems undue.
The post Trump Continues Crusade against Democrats, Mocked for Obsessed Behavior appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
