The Trump administration on Tuesday revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former officials it accused of “politicization or weaponization” to advance partisan agendas.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a memo naming the individuals whose clearances were stripped. Legal experts quickly raised alarms, with attorney Mark Zaid — who represents intelligence officers and is currently suing the administration to have his own revoked clearance reinstated — warning that Gabbard’s disclosure of the list itself may have violated federal law.
The decision comes just months after FBI Director Kash Patel assured lawmakers that under Trump’s second term there would be “no politicization” and “no retributive actions” at the bureau. Despite that pledge, federal agencies have since broadened probes targeting figures long branded by Trump as part of the so-called “deep state.”
The sweeping move underscores how aggressively Trump’s allies are pushing his agenda to reshape Washington. Supporters like Patel and Gabbard have leaned into Trump’s calls to root out officials he views as adversaries, even as critics argue the administration is eroding norms of independence within the intelligence community.
At the White House, Trump defended the actions, saying the country “cannot function with corrupt, biased bureaucrats undermining the will of the American people.” But detractors insist the clearances were yanked as political payback, pointing to the administration’s pattern of singling out critics and former officials who crossed Trump in previous years.