Donald Trump’s transition team has bypassed standard background checks by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on some controversial Cabinet nominees, citing past violations and conflicts of interest in the Senate. It is reported that the possibility of approval being refused is minimized. .
Such background checks, which date back decades to the early Cold War and are a long-standing tradition for incoming presidential candidates, are instead outsourced to private investigators.
The revelation, first reported by CNN, comes after at least three of President Trump’s nominees: Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for attorney general, director of national intelligence and secretary of health, respectively. His message came as shockwaves reverberated in Washington.
The move to exclude the FBI appears to be consistent with a pre-election memo drafted by his legal advisers that suggests President Trump believes, without evidence, that the FBI is part of an internal “deep state” apparatus. consistent with persistent suspicions. The federal government was intent on weakening him.
The department’s checks are based on custom, not law, and are intended to screen candidates for criminal history, conflicts of interest, or a track record of personal responsibility that could disqualify a candidate from being granted a security clearance. .
Gates, who was nominated by President Trump to be attorney general, faced a two-year investigation by the Justice Department on sex trafficking charges, which were ultimately dropped without charges. But they led to further investigations by the House Ethics Committee, which were expected to culminate in a report this week before Gaetz effectively halted its publication with his resignation.
Gabbard, who has been proposed to be director of national intelligence, has been accused of spouting pro-Russian views and having ties to the Kremlin, an allegation that would complicate her ability to oversee state secrets. There is a possibility.
And Mr. Kennedy, who was elected secretary of Health and Human Services on Thursday, could be vulnerable given his open admissions about his past drug addiction.
It was not disclosed which appointees escaped routine FBI scrutiny.
Gaetz openly expressed his hostility toward the agency in a social media post this week, hours before his nomination.
“We should apply pressure across the court against this weaponized government that has turned against its people,” he wrote. “If that means eliminating all three letter agencies from the FBI to the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives), I’m ready to take action!”
False statements on a background check application may result in criminal charges and further investigation if evidence of a potential crime is uncovered.
If candidates do not consent to background checks by the FBI or other government agencies, they can still be investigated at the request of the Senate, but law enforcement may not be able to collect some information without their consent. .
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An FBI background check is essential to obtaining a security clearance, which allows potential candidates to receive a security briefing before officially taking on the role.
The attorney general is expected to have security clearance to carry out his duties related to oversight of America’s vast federal law enforcement agency.
By ordering his appointees to receive security clearance after his inauguration on January 20, President Trump, like his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who served in various roles in the White House during his first term as president, This review system could be invalidated.
A White House whistleblower has urged Trump to grant security clearance to about 25 appointees during his first term, whose access had been blocked by background checks that revealed potential national security concerns. He made it clear to Congress that he had given the order.
Dan Meyer, a national security lawyer in Washington, told CNN that the Trump campaign is determined to upend the norms that have governed the incoming administration.
“(They) don’t want the FBI to adjust the norms. They want to break the norms,” he said.
