U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced on Aug. 19 that security clearances and any government employment for 37 current and former intelligence community officials were being terminated on the basis of their “politicizing and manipulating intelligence,” among other allegations.
Gabbard said the move was being undertaken at President Donald Trump’s direction.
The decision means that the 37 affected officials will no longer be able to access classified systems, facilities, materials, and information, will have their employment or contracts with the U.S. government immediately terminated, and will have to surrender their credentials.
While the names of each official were listed in an unclassified document attached to the announcement, Gabbard did not disclose to the public the specific acts that led to the losses of clearance.
She accused the 37 officials of “[abusing] the public trust by politicizing and manipulating intelligence, leaking classified intelligence without authorization, and/or committing intentional egregious violations of tradecraft standards.”
In the official documentation announcing the decision, Gabbard said, “Intelligence Community professionals must remain nonpartisan, fact-driven, and committed to truth above all else.”
She said that holding a security clearance is a privilege “contingent upon continued adherence to the principles and responsibilities” of the profession.
“Any betrayal of these standards compromises not only our mission, but also the safety and security of the American people,” she said.
The directive orders each intelligence agency to review the list and take any appropriate steps to comply with the revocation of clearances and employment terminations.
A particular area of investigation for Gabbard has been Crossfire Hurricane, the intelligence operation opened by the FBI and other intelligence community officials to investigate allegations that Trump’s allies colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.
For years, Trump and his allies faced investigations and allegations centering around claims that Russia had interfered in the 2016 presidential election in order to boost his 2016 run for the White House.
In an investigation by Special Counsel John Durham, Crossfire Hurricane was deemed to have been predicated on faulty intelligence, procedural missteps, and what Durham described as “confirmation bias” on the part of intelligence community members.
“They conspired to subvert the will of the American people who elected Donald Trump in that election in November of 2016,” Gabbard said during a July 23 press conference at the White House. “They worked with their partners in the media to promote this lie, ultimately to undermine the legitimacy of President Trump.”
While this investigation has been a top priority for Gabbard and the administration, it’s unclear whether the revocations are related to Crossfire Hurricane or related investigations.
