‘Being entrusted with a security clearance is a privilege, not a right,’ the director of national intelligence said.
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced on Aug. 19 that security clearances and any government employment for 37 current and former intelligence community officials were being terminated on the basis of their “politicizing and manipulating intelligence,” among other allegations.
“Being entrusted with a security clearance is a privilege, not a right. Those in the Intelligence Community who betray their oath to the Constitution and put their own interests ahead of the interests of the American people have broken the sacred trust they promised to uphold,” Gabbard wrote in a post on X.
Gabbard said the move was being undertaken at President Donald Trump’s direction.
The decision means that the 37 affected officials will no longer be able to access classified systems, facilities, materials, and information, will have their employment or contracts with the U.S. government immediately terminated, and will have to surrender their credentials.
While the names of each official were listed in an unclassified document attached to the announcement, Gabbard did not disclose to the public the specific acts that led to the losses of clearance.
She accused the 37 officials of “[abusing] the public trust by politicizing and manipulating intelligence, leaking classified intelligence without authorization, and/or committing intentional egregious violations of tradecraft standards.”
In the official documentation announcing the decision, Gabbard said, “Intelligence Community professionals must remain nonpartisan, fact-driven, and committed to truth above all else.”
She said that holding a security clearance is a privilege “contingent upon continued adherence to the principles and responsibilities” of the profession.
“Any betrayal of these standards compromises not only our mission, but also the safety and security of the American people,” she said.
The directive orders each intelligence agency to review the list and take any appropriate steps to comply with the revocation of clearances and employment terminations.
Gabbard has been outspoken in accusing the intelligence community, which she oversees, of political weaponization, particularly against Trump and his allies. The Department of Justice has formed a strike force to investigate these allegations.
A particular area of investigation for Gabbard has been Crossfire Hurricane, the intelligence operation opened by the FBI and other intelligence community officials to investigate allegations that Trump’s allies colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.
By Joseph Lord
