“Trump revokes Barack Obama’s security clearance.”
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No, Trump didn’t revoke Obama’s security clearance
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- This story originated on a satirical website.
On an official-sounding web page called "Washington News Press," a story was published on May 9 with a headline sure to draw many clicks: "Trump revokes Barack Obama’s security clearance."
President Donald Trump feels the former president "has access to far too much sensitive information with regard to our operations and questions Obama’s loyalty to his crown," according to the post. It was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
It is false news. The story first appeared on a self-described satire website that labeled the fake article "confirmation bias fiction for boomers."
In summer 2018, news outlets reported that Trump apparently wanted to revoke Obama’s security clearances. But Trump tweeted that he was not considering pulling Obama’s national security clearance.
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Trump revoked the security clearance for former CIA director John Brennan that year. But not Obama’s.
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Our Sources
Blog post, May 9, 2020
Bustatroll.org, Trump revokes Barack Obama’s security clearance, visited May 11, 2020
GQ, Trump reportedly wanted to take away Obama’s security clearance, Aug. 21, 2018
New Yorker, John Brennan’s choice to confront Trump, Aug. 20, 2018
The New York Times, Trump revokes ex-C.I.A. director John Brennan’s security clearance, Aug. 15, 2020
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No, Trump didn’t revoke Obama’s security clearance
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