In the corridors of power, access is everything. The right badge, the right clearance level, the right handshake – these are the currencies that truly matter in Washington’s never-ending game of musical chairs. For years, many former officials have enjoyed the perks of maintaining their security clearances long after leaving office. This allowed them to consult, advise, and remain plugged into the nation’s most sensitive information networks.

But as the old saying goes, the worm has turned. The revolving door of Washington influence just hit an unexpected speed bump.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard dropped a bombshell announcement on Monday that sent shockwaves through the Beltway establishment. In a decisive move following President Trump’s directive, Gabbard has revoked security clearances from numerous high-profile Biden administration officials.

From ‘Just The News’:

“I have revoked security clearances and barred access to classified information for … Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, James, Bragg, and Andrew Weissman, along with the 51 signers of the Hunter Biden ‘disinformation’ letter,” Gabbard posted on X. “The President’s Daily Brief is no longer being provided to former President Biden.”

Clearance Cleanup Day in D.C.

The list of those now locked out of classified information reads like a who’s who of swamp-loving Democrats. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken and former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan – two of Biden’s biggest lackeys – now find themselves without the security clearances they’ve held for years.

But the purge didn’t stop at just top Biden officials. Gabbard’s announcement specifically targeted individuals who played roles in legal actions against Trump, including two New York Democrats who waged vendettas against the president.

The list also includes Lisa Monaco, who oversaw prosecutions against Trump supporters involved in the January 6th Capitol events. And Mark Zaid, a national security lawyer who represented the whistleblower at the center of Trump’s first impeachment inquiry.

The Usual Suspects

Perhaps most notable among those losing their clearances are the 51 former intelligence officials who signed the infamous letter claimed Hunter’s laptop story was a Russian hoax. That letter, released just weeks before the 2020 election, was used to dismiss damaging information about the Biden family. A claim that has since been thoroughly debunked.

The signatories included former CIA Directors John Brennan and Leon Panetta, along with dozens of other former intelligence officials who used their credentials to cast doubt on the laptop story. Their letter became a powerful tool for social media companies and news organizations to justify suppressing the Hunter Biden story in the crucial weeks before the 2020 election.

Now, these former officials find themselves without the security clearances that have been part of their professional identity for decades – a consequence that many Trump supporters see as long overdue.

Payback Time

The security clearance revocations follow through on a January executive order issued by President Trump immediately after his inauguration. That order specifically called for the revocation of clearances for “former intelligence officials who engaged in misleading political coordination with the 2020 Biden presidential campaign.”

In a particularly ironic twist, Gabbard also announced that the President’s Daily Brief – the highly classified intelligence summary provided to the president each morning – would no longer be shared with former President Biden. This mirrors Biden’s own decision four years ago, when he broke with tradition and stopped providing the PDB to then-former President Trump.

What goes around, it seems, comes around – especially in matters of national security protocol.

Crocodile Tears

Predictably, those affected by the clearance revocations aren’t taking the news quietly. Mark Zaid, who has maintained a security clearance for nearly 25 years due to his work representing intelligence community whistleblowers, released a statement claiming he was entitled to due process regarding his clearance.

“Not surprisingly, as I would expect in an authoritarian state, I have received none,” Zaid said in an emailed statement to NBC News. “It is patently obvious this action is nothing but petty retaliation because I represent my clients effectively in holding the Trump Administration accountable for its actions.”

Critics of the move suggest it represents an unprecedented use of security clearances to target political opponents. However, supporters of the administration point out that many of these same voices were silent when clearances were weaponized against Trump allies during previous administrations.

Key Takeaways:

• DNI Tulsi Gabbard has revoked security clearances for top Biden officials and swamp-loving Democrats.
• This includes the 51 officials who signed the letter falsely claiming Hunter’s laptop was a Russian hoax.
• The move mirrors Biden’s own actions four years ago when he stopped providing the President’s Daily Brief to then-former President Trump.

Sources: Just The News, International Business Times, NBC News