OAN Staff Abril Elfi
4:02 PM – Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard announced this week that the security clearances of 37 current and former government officials had been pulled, citing their abuse of “public trust by politicizing and manipulating” information.
An Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) memo, which was sent on Monday, announced that the 37 intel professionals — including a former top aide to Obama DNI James Clapper — had either politicized or weaponized intelligence, failed to safeguard classified info, or did not follow tradecraft standards.
“The President has directed that, effective immediately, the security clearances of the following 37 individuals are revoked,” the memo stated.
Advertisement“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,” he said.
The group of 37 include former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Stephanie O’Sullivan and Vinh Nguyen. They both assisted Clapper in producing the now-debunked 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russia’s alleged preference for then-candidate Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
Several others affected by Tuesday’s news were similarly involved in the now-discredited ICA study, and a portion also signed on to a September 2019 declaration in support of House Democrats’ first impeachment investigation 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,” she added, “and maintain a laser-like focus on our mission of ensuring the safety, security and freedom of the American people.”
Last month, Gabbard released previously classified documents regarding the preparation of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) under former President Obama. She labeled the effort a “treasonous plot” by top officials — meant to undermine Trump’s 2016 election win.
Records show that James Clapper, along with then–CIA Director John Brennan and then–FBI Director James Comey, spearheaded the creation of the ICA, aiming to demonstrate Moscow’s involvement in the election and its preference for Trump — thereby providing them a motive for the alleged interference.
Samantha Vinograd — who served as Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism, Threat Prevention, and Law Enforcement Policy at the Department of Homeland Security under the Biden administration — has also had her security clearance revoked following Gabbard’s announcement. Previously, she worked on President Obama’s National Security Council and, in 2016, signed a public letter urging Trump to disclose his financial interests, according to The New York Times.
Andrew P. Miller, a former Obama National Security Council official who later served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs in the Biden administration’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs — was likewise stripped of his clearance. Additionally, the same measure affected Loren DeJonge Schulman, a former senior adviser to National Security Adviser Susan Rice, and Beth Sanner, who previously held the post of vice chair of the National Intelligence Council under President Obama.
Obama commissioned the assessment in December 2016, despite earlier analyses before and after the election finding that Russian cyber activity had not changed the outcome of the presidential race. At a December 9, 2016, White House meeting, Obama told officials in his administration to investigate “Russian Election Interference,” the newly released documents revealed.
However, the finished report — compiled by the CIA, FBI, NSA, and DHS — included information from the discredited Steele dossier, created by ex-MI6 officer Christopher Steele, in addition to its findings on Kremlin operations.
Brennan reportedly dismissed cautions from experienced intelligence staff who urged him not to incorporate the “unreliable” Steele material into the final draft.
Since assuming office, Gabbard has made public a 44-page classified report from the House Intelligence Committee challenging the credibility of Obama’s assessment.
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