In a sweeping move aimed at restoring public trust in the intelligence community, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Tuesday that her office has revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former officials. Acting at President Donald Trump’s direction, Gabbard accused the group of politicizing and manipulating intelligence to advance partisan agendas.
The list includes high-profile figures from the CIA, NSA, State Department, and National Security Council. Among them is former Obama-era DNI James Clapper, who Gabbard alleges pressured analysts to “compromise” standard procedures in order to accelerate the controversial 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian election interference.
“Being entrusted with a security clearance is a privilege, not a right,” Gabbard posted on X. “Those who betray their oath to the Constitution and put personal or political interests above the American people break the sacred trust they swore to uphold.”
Other names cited in the memo include Brett Holmgren, former Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research; Richard Ledgett, former Deputy Director of the NSA; Stephanie O’Sullivan, former Principal Deputy DNI; Luke Hartig, former Senior Director for Counterterrorism; and Yael Eisenstat, a former CIA officer and White House advisor known for her work on election integrity at Facebook.
According to the memo, the revocation is effective immediately. The officials must surrender credentials and will lose access to classified systems, facilities, and materials. Their contracts or employment ties with the government will also be terminated.
“Our intelligence services must remain focused on their true mission: safeguarding the freedom, security, and constitutional rights of the American people,” Gabbard wrote. The move marks one of the most dramatic efforts yet to curb political influence within the nation’s intelligence apparatus.
