Trump Says He Revoked Joe Biden’s Security Clearance
President called the access ‘a courtesy provided to former presidents’
Feb. 7, 2025
President Trump said he revoked former President Joe Biden’s security clearance and barred him from receiving intelligence briefings, stating there was no need for the Democrat to have continued access to government secrets.
Biden set this precedent when he blocked Trump from accessing information related to national security in 2021, the president said on Truth Social. The ability to continue to access certain information was “a courtesy provided to former presidents,” Trump wrote.
In February 2021, Biden ended Trump’s security briefings saying that he felt there was “no need” for Trump to have access to the secret information. Other former presidents retained their access to the briefings.
“What value is there in giving him an intelligence briefing,” Biden said in an interview with CBS News at the time.
Briefings for former presidents occur at the sole discretion of the sitting president.
Write to Ginger Adams Otis at Ginger.AdamsOtis@wsj.com and Annie Linskey at annie.linskey@wsj.com
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