The arrogance never ceases to amaze me.

Back there in the late 1980s, I departed the Reagan White House as the Reagan era was ending. I had a security clearance — and I never thought twice about trying to maintain it. Out means out.
Apparently, that is no longer so.
Start with that infamous letter from 51 former intelligence officials in the heat of the 2020 campaign.
The tale is recounted here in an Executive Order signed by President Trump on Jan. 25, 2025. It headlines — in capital letters: “HOLDING FORMER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE FOR ELECTION INTERFERENCE AND IMPROPER DISCLOSURE OF SENSITIVE GOVERNMENTAL INFORMATION.”
The EO says in part this, with bold print for emphasis supplied: 
Section 1. Purpose. In the closing weeks of the 2020 Presidential campaign, at least 51 former intelligence officials coordinated with the Biden campaign to issue a letter discrediting the reporting that President Joseph R. Biden’s son had abandoned his laptop at a computer repair business. Signatories of the letter falsely suggested that the news story was part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
Before being issued, the letter was sent to the CIA Prepublication Classification Review Board, the body typically assigned to formally evaluate the sensitive nature of documents prior to publication. Senior CIA officials were made aware of the contents of the letter, and multiple signatories held clearances at the time and maintained ongoing contractual relationships with the CIA. 
…The signatories willfully weaponized the gravitas of the Intelligence Community to manipulate the political process and undermine our democratic institutions. This fabrication of the imprimatur of the Intelligence Community to suppress information essential to the American people during a Presidential election is an egregious breach of trust reminiscent of a third world country.”
Catch that line? This one: “Multiple signatories held clearances at the time and maintained ongoing contractual relationshi...