Overview

• The ODNI memo orders immediate termination of access to classified systems and facilities, directs surrender of credentials, and ends any government employment or contracts for those named.
• Individuals on the list include figures tied to the 2017 intelligence assessment on Russian election interference as well as several Biden‑era national security aides such as Maher Bitar, Emily Horne, and Brett Holmgren.
• The document does not cite specific evidence for the allegations, and it remains unclear whether all listed individuals still held active clearances, with some learning of the action from news reports.
• National security lawyer Mark Zaid and other former officials condemned the move as unlawful and potentially a Privacy Act violation, signaling possible legal challenges and warning of damage to the clearance system.
• The action follows Gabbard’s declassifications and referrals to the Justice Department targeting the 2017 Russia assessment, a broader campaign critics say risks chilling dissent and weakening intelligence capacity.