CNN
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President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is using private companies to select nominees for administration positions, bypassing traditional FBI background checks on at least some Cabinet nominees, according to people close to the transition plan. The company is said to be examining the issue.
Trump and his allies believe the FBI’s systems are slow to respond and have challenges, and that the president-elect wants to quickly begin work to implement the policy, according to people briefed on the plan. He said he believes it could interfere with his plans. Critics argue that intrusive background checks can sometimes reveal embarrassing information that is used to cause political damage.
The discussion comes as President Trump has named several controversial candidates for top U.S. government positions, including Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence.
Ultimately, the president has the final authority to decide who to nominate and with whom to share information, ensuring that the selection does not include unknown foreign ties or potentially troubling issues. National security concerns, regardless of the established protocols established after World War II.
But avoiding background checks violates long-established norms in Washington. It also reflects a deep distrust of the national security establishment, which Trump has derided as the deep state. Officials said he personally questioned the need for background checks by law enforcement.
Dan Meyer, a national security lawyer in Washington, D.C., said the incoming Trump administration “doesn’t want harmony.” They “don’t want the FBI to adjust the norms. They want to break the norms,” he said.
Some of Trump’s advisers began distributing memos before the election urging him to bypass the traditional background check process for some appointees, people briefed on the memo told CNN. spoke. Instead of using law enforcement, the memo suggests hiring private researchers who can conduct background checks more quickly.
However, the next president can ultimately decide to submit names to the FBI at any time.
Some of the people President Trump selects for roles in his administration may run into problems with background checks, creating potential hurdles during the confirmation process.
Gates has long been mired in Justice Department and House ethics investigations related to sex trafficking. The Justice Department declined to indict Gaetz, and the House ethics investigation was days away from completion, effectively ending with the Florida congressman’s resignation this week. Gates has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Gabbard, on the other hand, appears to often take more favorable positions not only against U.S. adversaries, but in some cases against foreign leaders widely seen as brutal dictators, including the presidents of Syria and Russia. , has raised questions from allies and critics alike.
It’s worth noting that Gabbard met with President Bashar al-Assad in Syria in 2017 and said in 2019 that he was “not an enemy of the United States.”
In early 2022, she echoed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rationale for invading Ukraine and blamed the Biden administration, not Russia, for failing to acknowledge “Russia’s legitimate security concerns about Ukraine’s membership in NATO.” That’s what happened. That’s what some right-wing circles thought.
In addition to the verification process, FBI background checks are used to vet candidates for the security clearances required to perform their duties.
As president, Trump bypassed the process and gave Gaetz the green light, as he did to his son-in-law Jared Kushner during his first term, after his confirmation faltered amid questions over potential conflicts of interest. may be ordered to grant security clearance.
CNN previously reported that President Trump ordered permits to be granted to about 25 people whose applications were initially denied due to national security concerns.
Even if Gaetz does not participate in the investigative process, the FBI could attempt to conduct a basic investigation at the request of the Senate. But a person familiar with the process said it would be difficult to collect some data without his consent.
U.S. officials are still waiting for President Trump’s transition team to submit a roster for formal review of security clearances, including those under consideration for cabinet-level roles, the person said. It is said that there is
Mr. Trump’s team has so far resisted participating in the formal transition process, which typically includes memorandums of understanding and confidentiality agreements that are a prerequisite for accessing classified materials before a new administration takes office. Includes signature.
Instead, the Trump transition team is focusing on conducting its own internal review of nominees for top administration positions.
Delays in vetting candidates will also affect the timing of confidential briefings for senior administration officials, according to people familiar with the process.
Once in office, Trump will have the power to override vetting concerns and grant access to classified information, but he cannot do so until he takes office on January 20. So if Trump’s team continues to circumvent the vetting process, those selected for key roles will not be briefed until then.
The Trump team’s lack of urgency when it comes to vetting people for national security positions is not surprising, and is consistent with how he handled the transition process after the 2016 election. Yes, the official said. The person added that Trump’s team “wasn’t ready” for his inauguration in 2017, so it “may be understandable” that he is not interested in participating in the vetting process at this time.
Submitting individuals who currently have access to classified materials or who have been previously vetted may help move the process forward, but individuals without U.S. government experience will likely take longer. One example is President Trump’s choice of Congressman Mike Walz to be his national security adviser.
