CNN’s Victor Blackwell asked on Saturday how President Donald Trump’s promise to not target his political enemies aligns with the security clearances of multiple rivals being revoked.
In a presidential memo, it was announced that Antony Blinken, Jacob Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Andrew Weissmann, Hillary Clinton, Liz Cheney, Kamala Harris, Adam Kinzinger, Fiona Hill, Alexander Vindman, and former President Joe Biden and any Biden family members would lose their security clearances.
“I have determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information,” the president wrote.
Blackwell questioned whether there was anything but “revenge” behind the announcement in an interview with Washington Post political reporter Mariana Alfaro.
“Is there anything other than revenge here? Remember that this is the president who came in in 2025 saying that he would not target his political rivals. What is this?” he asked.
Alfaro said it’s unprecedented, but this was the quickest and “sharpest” tool Trump could use to lash out at political rivals who have opposed him and warned voters about his second administration.
She said:
There is really no precedent this large of a president, you know, removing security clearances from so many folks that have openly said or warned against his return to the White House. And I think I think it’s the closest he can do so far in terms of what he has said he could do to these people. I mean, he’s already talked about removing certain security protections from, for example, Liz Cheney and Kissinger, who, you know, were the only two Republicans in the committee investigating the January 6th insurrection. So I think it’s the first, sharpest tool he could find so far. And it seems like he is sticking to that promise he made. You know, of a seeking some sort of pushback or hitting back against the people that are so criticized him in the last administration.
CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen mocked Trump revoking his security clearance, suggesting it’s more performative than anything else. He was the co-counsel in the first House impeachment trial of Trump.
“It’s like the third time he’s announced he’s revoking my security clearance. I mean, does he revoke it & then give it back to me so he can revoke it again? Who does he think I am, a big law firm or a billionaire who’s gonna back down? It just makes me file even more lawsuits!” he wrote.
Watch above via CNN.
The post ‘Is There Anything Other Than Revenge Here?’ CNN Anchor Asks After Trump Revokes Security Clearances of Rivals Including Kamala Harris first appeared on Mediaite.