President Donald Trump has ordered the removal of security clearances for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, New York Attorney General Letitia James, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and several others.
According to a report from the New York Post, Bragg and James are among eight Democrats who will lose their security clearance, restricting their access to classified information and barring them from entering certain federal buildings.
In an interview with the Post, Trump explained his reasoning behind the decision. “This is to take away every right they have [revoking security clearances], including they can’t go into [federal] buildings,” he said.
The directive also targets Blinken, who played a key role in organizing a letter signed by 51 intelligence officials that falsely claimed Hunter Biden’s laptop had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” This move follows Trump’s earlier decision to revoke former President Joe Biden’s access to classified information and secure federal facilities.
Additional officials affected by the order include former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
Monaco was involved in the Justice Department’s investigations into Trump related to the January 6 Capitol