... The Trump administration's announcement this week that it would rescind the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials was hardly an isolated act.
In ordering the revocation of the clearances, President Donald Trump was turning to a favored retributive tactic that he's wielded " or at least tried to " against high-profile political figures, lawyers and intelligence officials.
The latest targets include officials who have served in the government across a range of agencies and positions, including on former President Joe Biden's national security team and at the CIA and National Security Agency.
It's not entirely clear how the list of 37 officials was developed, though some had worked on issues related to Russian threats to elections in 2016 and 2020, an issue that has long provoked Trump's ire.
Some were among the national security professionals who had signed onto a 2019 letter that criticized Trump and that was recently highlighted online by influential Trump ally Laura Loomer. Among them was Joel Willett, a military veteran and former CIA officer who spent time in the White House Situation Room under then-President Barack Obama before leaving the government 10 years ago. He said he was not given a reason for why he was targeted but doesn't think it has anything to do with his long-past government service. ...
A look at some of the other people and industries affected by Trump's security clearance actions:
Signers of the letter on Hunter Biden's laptop
On his first day in office, Trump moved to revoke the clearances of more than four dozen former intelligence officials who in 2020 had signed a letter saying the Hunter Biden laptop saga bore the hallmarks of a "Russian information operation." ...
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