White House officials said on Saturday that Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken had their security clearances revoked by President Donald Trump.
The action was taken a day after Trump announced that he had denied his predecessor Joe Biden access to daily intelligence briefings by canceling his security clearance. The list includes:
- Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken
- New York Attorney General Letitia James
- Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg
- Former National Security adviser Jake Sulivan
- Biden’s deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco
- Lawyers Andrew Weismann, Mark Zaid and Norm Eisen
Both Bragg and James filed lawsuits against Trump. Before the 2024 election, James filed a civil fraud complaint against Trump’s real estate firm. The ruling of more than $500 million, including interest, is currently up for review, and Trump insists he is innocent.
A conviction and a mostly symbolic “unconditional discharge” term resulted from Bragg’s leadership of the hush money case against Trump, which involved 34 counts of falsifying company records pertaining to payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump is appealing the case and has insisted on his innocence.Trump, then a Former President, had his security clearance revoked by Biden in 2021.
Additionally, Biden’s Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco’s security clearances were withdrawn, according to White House officials. Lisa assisted in organizing the Department of Justice’s reaction to the attacks on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in which Trump was charged with inciting the mob with his remarks.
Last month, retired Army general and Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley’s personal security detail and security clearance were canceled by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
After retiring as a four-star general in 2023 during Biden’s administration, Milley, who was the top U.S. military leader during a portion of Trump’s first term as president, became a vocal opponent of the president.
In the weeks leading up to Trump’s inauguration on January 20, several of Biden’s diplomats had collaborated with incoming Trump officials on matters such as Russia’s war in Ukraine. Blinken was not available for comment at this time.
