Lawyer of whistleblower in Trump impeachment files suit over revoked security clearance

A lawsuit has been filed by lawyer Mark Zaid against the Trump administration for what he claims is “unconstitutional retaliation” after his security clearance was revoked. Zaid, who represented government whistleblower Brian Murphy in a case that led to President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, argues that his clearance was pulled in March as a form of retaliation for his involvement in the impeachment proceedings.

Murphy had filed a whistleblower complaint in 2019 alleging that Trump had pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter’s business dealings in Ukraine during the 2019 impeachment proceedings. Despite being impeached by the House of Representatives, Trump was later acquitted by the Senate.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., accuses the Trump administration of violating the Administrative Procedures Act, the First Amendment, and parts of the Fifth Amendment. Zaid claims that the decision to revoke his clearance was a direct attack on his ability to represent clients without fear of retribution.

This is not the first time Trump has targeted political foes by revoking their security clearances. Other individuals who have had their clearances revoked include former President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former national security advisor John Bolton.

Zaid is seeking to have the court declare Trump’s revocation decision as unconstitutional and reinstate his security clearance. He has been in possession of classified information since 1995 and held a security clearance since 2002.

The White House has not yet provided a comment on the matter. Reuters contributed to this report.

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