Trump Orders 50 Former Intel Officials Stripped of Security Clearance Over Election Interference
Donald Trump signed an executive order that strips 50 former US intelligence officials of their security clearance. Trump said the former officials had interfered in the 2020 election by coordinating with the Joe Biden campaign to discredit an important story involving Hunter Biden’s scandals.
In October 2020, the New York Post reported that Joe Biden’s son Hunter had abandoned a laptop at a computer repair shop. Discovered on the device were pictures showing Hunter engaging in criminal and embarrassing actions, as well as emails that suggested high-level corruption involving his father.
Following the release of the bombshell story, a group of 51 former intelligence officials issued a letter claiming they assessed the laptop was Russian disinformation aimed at altering the outcome of the upcoming election. Subsequently, the Hunter Biden laptop story was heavily censored on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms.
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order slamming the signatories for weaponizing the intelligence community against the American people.
“The signatories willfully weaponized the gravitas of the Intelligence Community to manipulate the political process and undermine our democratic institutions.” It continues, “This fabrication of the imprimatur of the Intelligence Community to suppress information essential to the American people during a Presidential election is an egregious breach of trust reminiscent of a third world country.”
Trump then “directs the revocation of any active or current security clearances held by” the signatories to the letter, including James R. Clapper Jr, Michael V. Hayden, Leon E. Panetta, John O. Brennan, and Michael J. Morell. John Bolton was also included in the executive order for content published in his 2019 book.
One of the allegations is that Hunter profited by selling his father’s political influence in the Obama administration.
In 2014, then-Vice President Biden was a key player in crafting the White House’s Ukraine policy. He played a role in facilitating the 2014 coup in Ukraine. Showing his significant influence over Kiev, in 2018, Biden bragged that he threatened to withhold a loan in order to get Ukraine’s top prosecutor fired.
At the same time the elder Biden held that sway over Ukraine, Hunter received a lucrative job with energy giant Burisma. Emails from the laptop showed that the younger Biden had introduced Joe to a top executive at the energy firm.