It should not come as a surprise to see the same methods deployed against President Trump in 2024 that were used by the FBI in 2016. The difference is now that President Trump understands the full power of his office in the security clearance process and that he doesn’t need the FBI.
In 2016 the FBI used their power to conduct security clearances as a tool to stall and block President Trump appointments. Historically this is one of the ways a very corrupt and political FBI interfere in any system that might be against the interests of the Intelligence Community that controls them. However, in 2024 President-Elect Trump and his transition team have already taken a different approach.
First the report:
WASHINGTON DC – An official at FBI headquarters in Washington is warning that the bureau’s security clearance division is politicized and can’t be trusted to screen President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for top administration jobs.
The allegations of political bias at the FBI’s security division, or SecD, were revealed in a protected whistleblower disclosure sent to the House Judiciary Committee, which The Washington Times reviewed.
The official said the security clearance process has been “contaminated by the political agendas of [security division] officials and other executives in the FBI.” (more)
This is not any earth-shattering revelation. We painstakingly discussed this in a multitude of prior research discussions. The motive of the Whistleblower to come forth now, is likely because President Trump is already working around the problem.
WASHINGTON DC – President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is skipping the protocol of using the FBI to conduct background checks, according to a report.
Instead, the president-elect’s team is turning to private companies to vet administrative appointees, people familiar with transition planning told CNN. Trump has criticized the FBI for its slow investigation process and feared it would delay his ability to roll out his agenda.
A security clearance is needed for some Cabinet positions, such as attorney general, and the process of obtaining one includes an FBI background check.
Dan Meyer, a national security attorney, told CNN Trump’s mistrust of the FBI and the deep state has made him go completely rogue. [They] “don’t want the FBI to coordinate a norm. They want to hammer the norm,” Meyer told CNN.
The Trump transition team’s decision to bypass the FBI background check comes as Trump has nominated former Reps. Matt Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard for attorney general and National Intelligence director, respectively — both controversial picks. (more)
Because President Trump is making civics great again, it’s worth reminding everyone that President Trump has unilateral decision-making authority to grant anyone a security clearance. The President (atop the executive) can give anyone he chooses a top-secret security clearance status, simply by saying this person has top-secret security clearance. Yes, it really is that easy.
The President can choose his advisors and choose to share anything – even the most top-secret information in the country – with his advisors and cabinet members. That’s what we elect him/her to do; to use his/her judgement to make decisions.
This is one of the powers within the office that cannot be challenged by any other silo, branch or institution. The security clearance rules are what President Trump says the security clearance rules are.
There is no outside silo in the Executive Branch, who can supersede the decision of President Trump.
