Gabbard Strips 37 Intel Officials of Security Clearances

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced security clearances had been pulled from 37 current and former officials who “abused public trust by politicizing and manipulating” information — including several who were involved in a controversial, Barack Obama-ordered assessment of Russian influence in the 2016 election.

An ODNI memo announced that the more than three dozen intel professionals — including a former top aide to Obama DNI James Clapper — had either politicized or weaponized intelligence, failed to safeguard classified info or not followed tradecraft standards.

“The President has directed that, effective immediately, the security clearances of the following 37 individuals are revoked,” the Aug. 18 memo stated, according to a copy obtained by The Post.

“Their access to classified systems, facilities, materials, and information is to be terminated forthwith. Any contracts or employment with the U.S. Government by these 37 individuals is hereby terminated. Any credentials held by these individuals must be surrendered to the appropriate security officers.”

The 37 include ex-Principal Deputy DNI Stephanie O’Sullivan and Vinh Nguyen, who both worked under Clapper while his office was producing the now-discredited 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russia’s preference for then-candidate Donald Trump in the 2016 contest with Hillary Clinton.

Nguyen had been serving in the Trump administration as the National Security Agency’s first chief responsible artificial intelligence (AI) officer.

His involvement in the ICA report was first revealed by Real Clear Investigations earlier this month.

Several others affected by Tuesday’s announcement were involved in that ICA report, while some also signed onto a September 2019 statement in support of House Democrats’ first impeachment inquiry into Trump.

“Being entrusted with a security clearance is a privilege, not a right,” Gabbard said in a statement. “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.”

“Our Intelligence Community must be committed to upholding the values and principles enshrined in the US Constitution,” the spy chief added, “and maintain a laser-like focus on our mission of ensuring the safety, security and freedom of the American people.”

Gabbard last month began declassifying records about the crafting of the 2017 ICA under Obama, revealing what she has called a “treasonous conspiracy” by senior administration officials “to subvert President Trump’s 2016 victory.”

Those records show that Clapper, then-CIA Director John Brennan and then-FBI Director James Comey spearheaded the ICA report to emphasize Moscow’s role in the electoral contest and purported support of then-candidate Trump.

Samantha Vinograd — who served as the assistant secretary for counterterrorism, threat prevention and law enforcement policy at the Department of Homeland Security under former President Joe Biden — also had her clearance pulled.

She had previously served in Obama’s National Security Council and also signed an open letter asking for Trump to disclose his business interests during the 2016 campaign, The New York Times reported.

Andrew P. Miller, a former member of Obama’s NSC who also served as Biden’s deputy assistant secretary of state for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department, also had his clearance yanked.

So did Loren DeJonge Schulman, a former senior adviser to ex-national security adviser Susan Rice; and Beth Sanner, the onetime vice-chair of the National Intelligence Council under Obama.

The 44th president ordered the assessment in December 2016 — even after pre- and post-election assessments showed Russia did not affect the presidential vote’s outcome through cyberattacks.

At a Dec. 9, 2016, White House meeting, Obama tasked the officials with looking into any “Russia Election Meddling,” the declassified emails and files showed.

But the final product from the CIA, FBI, NSA and DHS, which was supposed to provide comprehensive facts on Kremlin activities, also added details from a now-debunked dossier produced by former MI6 spy Christopher Steele.

Brennan even ignored warnings from “veteran” intelligence officers who implored him to keep the “substandard” Steele intelligence out of the final report.

Many of the “egregious” errors made in the assessment ended up triggering a years-long probe that dogged the 45th president through much of his first term.

Since taking office, Gabbard has released a 44-page classified report by the House Intelligence Committee poking holes in the Obama-ordered assessment.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has also released a review of the assessment that showed officials rushed the product through a “chaotic,” “atypical” and “markedly unconventional” process, raising questions about a “potential political motive.”

Trump’s Department of Justice has since opened a grand jury investigation into Brennan, Comey and Clapper over the Russiagate probe.