Trump Takes Cold Revenge by Stripping Security Clearance From Biden, Harris, and Clinton

President Donald Trump has stripped security clearance from a group that includes former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Joe Biden, and “any other member of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s family.”

The removals—an act of revenge against a broad swath of Trump’s most dire enemies—were made official in a memo signed by the president late on Friday night, according to The New York Times.

Although largely symbolic, the directive could prevent the group from accessing federal buildings and obtaining classified information.

In February, Trump had said he was going to take away Biden’s access to classified intelligence briefings. It was payback—Biden had done the same thing to Trump after beating him in 2020.

Also included in the group are former Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger—the only two House Republicans who served on the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack. Both of the former representatives have become vocal critics of Trump.

Two New York law enforcement officials who took on Trump—Letitia James, the state attorney general, and Alvin Bragg, Manhattan’s district attorney—were also on the list.

It included several other figures from Trump’s first impeachment trial. Two of them had testified against Trump, including Fiona Hill, a foreign policy expert, and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman. Also featured was Norm Eisen, a lawyer who assisted the House with the trial.

“I also direct all executive department and agency heads to revoke unescorted access to secure United States government facilities from these individuals,” Trump’s memo read. “This action includes, but is not limited to, receipt of classified briefings, such as the President’s Daily Brief, and access to classified information held by any member of the intelligence community by virtue of the named individuals’ previous tenure in the Congress.”

Since entering into office, Trump has sought to exact petty revenge on his opponents.

Last week, he stripped the security protections of two of Biden’s children, Hunter and Ashley Biden. Previously, he had done the same to Dr. Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as well as former members of his first administration who eventually turned against him, including John Bolton, his one-time national security adviser.