Trump tells Biden ‘you’re fired’ as he halts ex-president’s access to classified information as payback after Jan 6
PRESIDENT Donald Trump has told Joe Biden “YOU’RE FIRED” after halting his access to daily intelligence briefings as revenge for the ex-president doing the same to him four years prior.
Trump slammed the Democrat bumbler on his Truth Social platform, saying there was “no need” for him to “continue receiving access to classified information”.
Don added his notorious Apprentice catchphrase “JOE, YOU’RE FIRED” to the post before signing it up with his “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” slogan.
The Republican already revoked the security clearance of over four dozen former intelligence officials whom he accused of fiddling with the 2020 election which he branded the “greatest fraud in US history”,
He posted on Friday evening that the Democrat blunderer “set this precedent in 2021, when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents.”
Biden barred Trump from receiving intelligence briefings that are usually given to former presidents, justifying his actions by claiming Trump’s behavior before the Capital attack was concerning.
The precedent set by the Democrat means Trump can too stop his predecessor’s access to daily intelligence briefings.
But Trump also says he wants to revoke Biden’s security clearance.
The Republican added that he “could not be trusted with sensitive information,” pointing to a justice department inquiry into Biden’s storage of classified files from his time as Barack Obama’s vice-president.
A special counsel report by Robert Hur at the time declared Biden “wilfully retained and disclosed classified materials” but declined to charge him with a crime.
The investigation said the ex-president was unable to recall significant life events such as the dates he served as VP, and the year his son Beau died.
Explaining the lack of charges at the time, Mr Hur said: “At trial, Mr Biden would likely present himself to a jury as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
January 6, 2021: A timeline of events
On January 6, 2021, a group of rioters stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC, to protest the 2020 presidential election results. Here's a timeline of events of what occurred that day:
6:00am: A group of supporters for former President Donald Trump show up in Washington DC to attend a rally for him. Trump had tweeted about the rally a month prior.
11:00am: Trump’s rally, “Save American Rally,” kicks off. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. both speak.
11:50am: Trump begins speaking at the rally. He tells his supporters that “we will never give up. We will never concede.” He tells his supporters to go to the Capitol building.
1:00pm: Lawmakers gather at the Capitol to count Electoral College votes while protesters gather outside.
1:10pm: Rioters are on the steps of the Capitol building.
1:26pm: The Capitol police evacuate the Library of Congress, Madison Building and Cannon House Office Building. These buildings are across the street from the Capitol.
1:40pm: Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser orders a curfew in the city.
2:11pm: Rioters breach the perimeter of the Capitol building and scale the walls.
2:20pm: The Senate and House are called into recess and the building goes into lockdown.
2:38pm: Trump tweets, “Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!”
3:00pm: Rioters officially break into the Senate chamber. Other rioters break into the offices of members of Congress and the Senate. Property is destroyed along the way. Rioters take photos of themselves on the Senate floor.
3:13pm: Trump tweets again about the situation. “I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!”
3:34pm: Rioter Ashli Babbitt is shot by a Capitol police officer as she attempts to climb through the Lobby’s doors. She later died from her injuries. Meanwhile, the National Guard is ordered to the Capitol by Trump.
4:00pm: President-elect Joe Biden addresses the nation and calls on Trump to “go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege.”
4:17pm: Trump tweets out a video message to his supporters. “I know your pain, I know you’re hurt,” he said. He said the election “was stolen from us” but asked the rioters to “go home now.”
6:00pm: Washington DC goes under a 12-hour lockdown.
7:00pm: Trump is banned from Facebook and his Twitter account is suspended.
8:00pm: Former Vice President Mike Pence calls the Senate back into session.
9:00pm: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls the House back into session.
11:00pm: The House and Senate resume their joint session.
January 7, 3:42am: Joe Biden is officially declared as the next president of the United States.
Aftermath: As of September, the Justice Department has convicted over 1,000 people for the January 6 riots, and some 350 cases are still pending trial, per CBS News.
The report added that, despite this, keeping the documents on foreign policy still presented “serious risks to national security”.
It comes after Trump signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing it of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”
The sweeping measure slaps financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their families who assist in ICC investigations of American citizens or allies.
The ICC responded to previous US threats against the court by saying it “regrets any attempts to undermine the court’s independence, integrity and impartiality,” the BBC reported.
The White House has fiercely criticized the ICC, accusing it of drawing a “shameful moral equivalency” between Hamas and Israel by issuing simultaneous warrants for both Israeli leaders and a Hamas commander.
A fact sheet circulated by the administration argues the court is unfairly constraining Israel’s right to self-defense while ignoring threats from Iran and anti-Israel groups.
Trump’s order warns that the ICC’s recent actions “set a dangerous precedent” by exposing American officials to “harassment, abuse and possible arrest.”
“This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States government and our allies, including Israel,” the order states.
Trump has long been a vocal critic of the ICC, having previously sanctioned the court during his first term.
TikTok, gender debate & JFK truth – the rest of Trump’s to-do list
BY Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
JFK ASSASSINATION
Trump promised to declassify a slew of classified documents on the assassinations of President John F Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, and Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
During his first term, Trump did release some documents related to the fatal shooting of JFK in Dallas, Texas, in 1963.
King and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated in 1968.
“In the coming days, we are going to make public remaining records related to the assassinations of President John F Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy, as well as Dr Martin Luther King Jr and other topics of great public interest,” Trump said the day before his Inauguration.
Trump has not specified what kind of documents he hopes to release, but the details of the JFK assassination, in particular, have been a long-term source of debate.
A widespread conspiracy theory has suggested the involvement of the federal government or CIA in orchestrating and covering up his death.
TIKTOK BAN
Trump has repeatedly hit out at the plans to ban TikTok in the US – a wildly popular social media app with some 170 million American users.
After national security concerns tied to its Chinese ownership, the app was briefly shut down across the country.
But mere hours after Trump promised to reinstate it after taking office, American users could get back online.
The app returned quickly, however, lauding Trump as the reason for its return even before his official return to the Oval Office.
He then extended a 90-day period to keep it running.
GENDER DEBATE
Trump has previously vowed to reinstate a ban on transgender military service – something he brought in during his first term that Biden later axed.
“With the stroke of my pen, on day one, we’re going to stop the transgender lunacy,” Trump said at a rally in December.
He is also expected to ban transgender women from competing in women’s sports.
“And I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high school,” he said.
“And we will keep men out of women’s sports. And that will likewise be done on Day One.”
CLIMATE CRUNCH
Trump has also promised to look at the cost of living and visit Los Angeles in the wake of recent devastating wildfires.
He is also expected to overturn President Biden’s climate policies, including those regarding the regulation of pollution or green job efforts.
It could also stretch to a ban on new wind projects or electric vehicle mandates.
He has already withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement—just as he did in 2017 before Biden rejoined in 2021.