By Abiola Olawale
United States President Donald Trump has announced the revocation of immediate past US President Joe Biden’s security clearance.
The action has been described as a retaliatory move as Biden, during his presidency, revoked Trump’s access to similar briefings in 2021, citing concerns over Trump’s behaviour in his post-election period.
Trump, in a statement posted on his social media accounts, justified this action by pointing to Biden’s precedent in 2021 when he stopped him from receiving intelligence briefings.
Trump argued there was no need for Biden to continue accessing classified information, especially citing a report by Special Counsel Robert Hur which highlighted Biden’s “poor memory” concerning the handling of classified documents.
The New Diplomat reports that revoking Biden’s security clearance means he would no longer receive daily intelligence briefings, which are typically provided to former presidents.
Trump announced: “There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information. Therefore, we are immediately revoking Joe Biden’s security clearances, and stopping his daily intelligence briefings.
“He set this precedent in 2021, when he instructed the intelligence community (IC) to stop the 45th president of the United States (me!) from accessing details on national security, a courtesy provided to former presidents.”
