Roving Periscope: Trump ‘fires’ Biden, strips him of security clearance
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: It a tit-for-tat move, about two weeks after he returned to the White House, US President Donald Trump on Friday revoked Joe Biden’s security clearance for classified information, reminding his predecessor of what he did unto him four years ago.
When Trump lost the second term, the new President Joe Biden, in 2021, cited his predecessor’s ‘erratic’ behaviour to revoke his security clearance and prevent access to classified information.
Returning to settle scores, Trump, now the 47th President, announced he is ending Biden’s security clearance for access to classified information.
“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 posted on his Truth Social platform.
“He (Biden) 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,” the irrepressible Republican leader added.
Trump cited last year’s special counsel report on Biden’s handling of sensitive documents.
“The Hur Report revealed that Biden suffers from ‘poor memory’ and, even in his ‘prime,’ could not be trusted with sensitive information. I will always protect our National Security – JOE, YOU’RE FIRED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Biden had ended Trump’s intelligence briefings because of efforts by the latter to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost as the incumbent, and due to violence by the Republican’s supporters at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“Trump’s ‘erratic’ behaviour should prevent him from getting the intelligence briefings,” Biden had said.
In November 2024, Donald Trump defeated then Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, to achieve a remarkable political comeback, and return to the White House.
