Tulsi Gabbard Revokes Clearances of 37 Officials for Politicizing Intelligence

In one of the most sweeping decisions in recent memory, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced that her office has revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former intelligence officials. Acting at the direction of President Donald Trump, Gabbard said the move was necessary to restore the integrity of the intelligence community after years of political manipulation.

“This is about trust,” Gabbard wrote in a statement. “Being entrusted with a security clearance is a privilege, not a right. Those in the Intelligence Community who betray their oath to the Constitution and put their own interests ahead of the interests of the American people have broken the sacred trust they promised to uphold.”

Why the Clearances Were Pulled

The revoked officials, many of them veterans of the CIA, NSA, State Department, and National Security Council, were accused of “politicization or weaponization of intelligence to advance personal, partisan, or non-objective agendas inconsistent with national security priorities.” The memo circulated to U.S. intelligence agencies claimed they had manipulated assessments, leaked classified information, or violated basic professional standards.

The central accusation is that these officials distorted the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian interference in the 2016 election. According to Gabbard, the report was not produced through normal procedures but instead rushed for political reasons. She singled out James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence under President Obama, for pushing subordinates to “compromise normal procedures” in order to deliver conclusions that would undermine Trump’s victory.

Who Was Targeted

The list of those losing clearances includes some of the most recognizable names from the Obama and Biden administrations. Among them:

• James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence, accused of directing officials to bend rules to speed up the Russia report.
• Brett M. Holmgren, former Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research.
• Richard H. Ledgett, former NSA Deputy Director.
• Stephanie O’Sullivan, former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence.
• Luke R. Hartig, former Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council.
• Yael Eisenstat, a former CIA officer and White House advisor who later worked with Facebook on election integrity.

While some on the list may not have had active clearances at the time of the announcement, the revocation makes their return to government service or their ability to work in defense-related private sector jobs far more difficult.

Politicized Intelligence and the Russia Assessment

The disputed 2017 assessment concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and that President Vladimir Putin preferred Trump over Hillary Clinton. Trump and his allies have long argued that this conclusion was not based on objective intelligence but instead on political motives designed to damage his presidency.

Gabbard has described the report as part of a “treasonous conspiracy” and said that “deep state actors did not want Trump-Russia information to see the light of day.” In July, she released documents that she claimed showed the Obama administration manufactured intelligence. She has since made referrals to the Justice Department, which has launched a grand jury investigation into the matter.

Critics of the original assessment argue that it ignored contradictory evidence and gave undue weight to thin sourcing. CIA Director John Ratcliffe and other senior Trump officials have already issued reviews critical of the 2017 assessment, and now Gabbard’s move represents the most direct penalty yet for those involved.

Revenge for Trump and Gabbard

For both Trump and Gabbard, this is not just about bureaucratic accountability. It is personal. Trump repeatedly said that the Russia probe was “a witch hunt” designed to delegitimize his presidency. Gabbard, who has often spoken of being targeted by the political establishment, now leads the intelligence community and has used her position to deliver consequences.

“Our Intelligence Community must be committed to upholding the values and principles enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and maintain a laser-like focus on our mission of ensuring the safety, security and freedom of the American people,” she wrote on X. For Trump and Gabbard, the message is clear. Those who turned the tools of intelligence into political weapons will no longer enjoy the privileges that come with access to classified information.

Pushback and Criticism

Not surprisingly, Democrats and many in the national security establishment are condemning the decision. Critics say Gabbard is the one weaponizing intelligence by punishing Trump’s political enemies. Mark Zaid, a national security attorney whose own clearance was previously revoked, claimed, “These are unlawful and unconstitutional decisions that deviate from well-settled, decades-old laws and policies that sought to protect against just this type of action. This administration would make Senator McCarthy proud.”

A spokesman for former President Obama dismissed the allegations, calling them “bizarre” and “a weak attempt at distraction.” Democrats have suggested that Trump and Gabbard are using this issue to shift attention away from controversies such as the Epstein files.

The revocation of 37 clearances has both practical and symbolic effects. Practically, it means these officials lose access to classified systems, facilities, and documents. Symbolically, it signals that Trump and Gabbard are willing to hold accountable those they see as responsible for undermining the legitimacy of Trump’s presidency.

For the intelligence community, the move sends a stark warning: anyone who allows politics to guide assessments rather than facts may lose their career and credibility. For Trump’s supporters, it is a long-awaited moment of justice. Revenge, in their view, is finally being served to the very officials who once sought to destroy them.

The post Tulsi Gabbard Revokes Clearances of 37 Officials for Politicizing Intelligence appeared first on The Punching Bag Post.