As President Trump weighs whether to revoke the security clearances of six former U.S. officials, people familiar with the process said those impacted by such a move would have few legal options given the unchecked authority presidents have typically enjoyed on national security matters.

Senior U.S. officials who received Secret or Top Secret security clearances during their tenure are typically eligible to access classified information, or participate in sensitive briefings, after leaving their posts so they can serve in advisory roles to new administrations or to their successors, national security lawyer Bradley Moss told the Washington Examiner on Monday, hours after the White House announced it was open to rescinding a half-dozen security clearances belonging to Trump critics who previously served in government.