Trump Strips 37 Current and Former Officials of Security Clearances

Many of these national security staff covered Russia analysis or foreign threats to US polls

- Julian E. Barnes and Maggie Haberman

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump revoked the security clearance of 37 current and former national security officials, many of whom worked on Russia analysis or foreign threats to US elections, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Mr. Trump has stripped security clearances throughout his administration, including from his best-known rivals, such as former president Joe Biden. But the actions announced on Aug. 19 were a deeper cut, pushing far into the national security establishment.

At least three current senior officials at various intelligence agencies, all with reputations for non-partisan work, are among those who lost their clearance and their jobs.

They included Ms. Shelby Pierson, a senior intelligence official who warned Congress about Russian meddling in the 2020 election; a senior Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst serving undercover; and Mr. Vinh X. Nguyen, a senior National Security Agency (NSA) data scientist.

Rescinding their security clearance appears to be part of a campaign by Ms. Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, to reveal what she sees as flaws in intelligence assessments about Russian malign influence operations during the 2016 election.

Her attention to that issue has won praise from Mr. Trump, who has long claimed without evidence that the Obama administration tried to undermine him in that vote.

Critics also say Mr. Trump has turned the focus onto the 2016 election to distract from questions about disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.