Oh, what a stunning example of performative authoritarianism masquerading as governance. This executive order is not about protecting national security. It is not about restoring faith in democracy. It is not about ensuring intelligence officials remain nonpartisan. No, this order is nothing more than a vindictive, petty, blatantly partisan attack wrapped in the thinnest possible veil of national security concerns. It is political retribution, plain and simple—a revenge fantasy put to paper in the form of an official government decree.

Let’s start with the blatant hypocrisy of it all. The order claims that former intelligence officials "weaponized the gravitas of the Intelligence Community to manipulate the political process." Oh, you mean like openly declassifying documents for political gain? Firing inspectors general for investigating corruption? Pressuring intelligence agencies to produce politically favourable conclusions? Because I can guarantee that if this order were serious about stopping intelligence officials from interfering in politics, it wouldn’t be selectively targeting people who happened to criticize a particular political candidate. This isn’t about stopping election interference—it’s about punishing the wrong kind of election interference.

And then we get to the absurdity of the security clearance revocations. This order unilaterally strips clearances from dozens of individuals, many of whom haven’t held government positions in years. News flash: Former intelligence officials rarely retain active security clearances unless they’re in advisory roles. So what’s the point of this? Pure spectacle. It’s a headline generator, a way to publicly humiliate political enemies under the guise of national security. It achieves nothing—except proving that loyalty to a single individual is now more important than actual qualifications, expertise, or service to the country.

And let’s talk about John Bolton’s inclusion in this list. Because wow, if this order weren’t already transparent in its pettiness, throwing Bolton into the mix seals the deal. His crime? Writing a tell-all memoir critical of a former administration. Not leaking classified documents. Not committing espionage. Writing a book. Let’s be clear: This is a direct attack on free speech. This is an executive order being used as a punishment for publishing unflattering information. If you think that’s normal, you have completely abandoned any pretense of believing in democratic values.

And oh, the irony—this order has the gall to talk about undermining faith in intelligence professionals. You know what actually undermines faith in intelligence professionals? Turning them into political punching bags. Stripping them of their clearances for ideological reasons. Sending a message that expertise and experience mean nothing if they aren’t in service to the ruling party. This isn’t restoring trust in intelligence agencies—this is purging them of people who might dare to be independent.

And then we get to the reporting requirement—because apparently, this order doesn’t just want to punish people; it wants to keep the witch hunt going. The DNI is ordered to dig up dirt on anyone remotely connected to this so-called conspiracy and submit recommendations for further punishments. This is a loyalty test. This is an intimidation tactic. This is authoritarianism 101—demanding that the intelligence community serve not the nation, not the Constitution, but the personal grievances of the head of state.

And finally, we have Section 4(c)—the classic legal escape hatch that these kinds of authoritarian executive orders always include. In case this nonsense gets challenged in court (which it absolutely will), the administration can just shrug and say, “Well, this doesn’t actually create any enforceable rights, so don’t worry about it.” Translation: "This is all political theatre. It's designed to make people feel like something is happening, but it’s actually just a bunch of empty posturing that will accomplish nothing besides fanning the flames of partisan rage.”

At the end of the day, this isn’t about national security. It’s not about protecting democracy or holding officials accountable. It is about punishing political enemies. It is about turning intelligence agencies into partisan tools. It is about sending a chilling message that dissent will not be tolerated.

This executive order is a temper tantrum, a bureaucratic hit list, a weaponization of government power for the sole purpose of settling old scores. It is deeply un-American, fundamentally anti-democratic, and a disgraceful abuse of executive authority.