National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard said on Monday that he has taken away security approval from dozens of former National Security Officers, Manhattan District Attorney, who acquired a hooliganism against Donald Trump and a lawyer who triggered the first impeachment case against Trump.
This decision is the latest example of unprecedented use of security approval to go after the alleged political opponents by the Trump administration.
Gabbard’s move announced on X, on an executive order issued by President Donald Trump immediately after his inauguration in January, calling for the cancellation of security approval for 49 former National Security Officers. Former officials signed a letter more than four years ago, suggesting that Russia may have played a role in raising the allegations about Biden’s son Hunter as part of a comprehensive attempt to influence the results of the 2020 election.
In his executive order, Trump accused the signators of the letter “misleading and inappropriate political coordination” with Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.
Trump’s order also asked the director of National Intelligence to review the security approval of the government, which was engaged in the “unfair activity” related to the letter. Former senior officials have repeatedly denied Trump’s claim.
Gabbard stated that it had canceled security approval and forbidden access to classified information for State Secretary Anthony Blinkan in Biden administration; Jake Sulivan, former National Security Advisor; And Lisa Monaco, who inspected the accused against Trump supporters, who brought a storm in Capital on 6 January 2021.
Keeping in mind the last fast by Trump, Gabbard said that the Daily Intelligence Briefing for the President will not be shared with former President Joe Biden.
Traditionally, the President Dainik Briefing has been shared with former presidents, but Biden suspended the practice for Trump.
Gabard also canceled security approval for New York Attorney General Latitia James, who won a civil fraud decision against Trump last year. In that case, a judge found that Trump cheated banks by increasing its net worth in financial statements. DNI also canceled the security approval of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Brag, who acquired a punishment on a plan against Trump, which illegally was through a plan to influence the 2016 election through a Hush Money Payment to a porn actor through a Hush Money Payment, which said that both had sex.
As part of Gabbard’s action, Mark Zaid, a lawyer, who has been represented in the intelligence community over the years, was taken away from his safety approval. Zaid represented an intelligence officer who filed a whistleblower complaint to the Congress on a phone call during Trump’s first term in 2019, in which he appeared to suppress Ukrainian President Volodimier Zelansky to take action to help the President’s 2020 re -election campaign. The complaint inspired an investigation into an impeachment in the House of Representatives. Trump was not convicted.
Zaid said that under the law, he was entitled to a proper process on his safety approval.
“It’s not surprising, as I expect in an ruling state, I have found no one. It is clear that this action is nothing, but apart from petty vengeance because I effectively represent my customers responsible for holding the Trump administration responsible for their actions,” Zaid said in an email.
He said that Zad has received security approval for about 25 years. During Trump’s first term, the then Trump administration gave a high -level top secret withdrawal for a whistleblower case, which included a department of the Homeland Security case, he said.
Kevin Carroll, who has represented intelligence officials sueing the government, said that the move against Zaid may force the whistleblower to focus on their concerns in a more risky way.
“We do not want a whistleblower in the Julian Assange intelligence community. We want him to go to security approved lawyers like Mark Zaid, ”Carol said.
A former National Security Officer said the decision would disrupt the Trump administration as it is with an array of global threats, as they will be deprived of consultation with their predecessors who may have insight to share.
“It does not affect people who had approval. This affects those in the government who may need to consult them, ”the former officer said. “They will not have the benefit of reaching former senior officials, who have dealt with serious ongoing dangers.”
Trump said last week that he was approved for lawyers in the Washington Law firm, the head of Covington and Burling. The firm, which appoints lawyers working for the previous Democratic Presidents, assisted former Special Advocate Jack Smith, who led to his efforts to deal with classified documents against Trump and to reverse the 2020 election results.
After Trump won the election again last year, both cases were rejected. The policy of the Department of Justice Bars to prosecute a sitting president.
