As soon as we knew that Donald Trump had lost the election, security experts were raising the alarm that Trump should be denied intelligence briefings in his post-presidency. The very real concern is that Trump is a con man, a grifter and a traitor, and he would sell America’s secrets at the first opportunity. He already has access to all of America’s current secrets, although many have argued (quite successfully) that he’s literally too stupid to understand most of what he has access to. All ex-presidents have the choice about whether they’ll still receive intelligence briefings, and most ex-presidents want the updates. It might not be up to Trump though – President Biden’s incoming chief of staff says that they’re not ruling out anything.
Joe Biden’s incoming White House chief of staff on Sunday did not rule out blocking President Donald Trump from receiving intelligence briefings once he is a private citizen. Asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” whether the Biden administration would follow recommendations from a former intelligence official to limit Trump’s access to classified information, Ron Klain said, “We’ll certainly look for a recommendation from the intelligence professionals in the Biden-Harris administration once they’re in place and act on that recommendation.”
“So obviously, we don’t have those intelligence professionals in place yet. (I) hope the Senate moves to confirm them quickly and then we’ll look what they recommend in terms of intelligence sharing going forward,” he continued.
Former Trump principal deputy director of national intelligence Sue Gordon wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Post on Friday that Trump “might be unusually vulnerable to bad actors with ill intent” once he is no longer President. “He leaves, unlike his predecessors who embraced the muted responsibilities of being a ‘former,’ with a stated agenda to stay engaged in politics and policy,” she wrote. “No departing president in the modern era has hinted at or planned on becoming a political actor immediately after leaving office.”
Gordon’s op-ed came in the wake of Trump’s role inciting a deadly insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6.
I think both things can be true at once – Trump is too stupid to understand most intelligence briefings, he’s too stupid to understand the value of the information he has at his fingertips AND he shouldn’t receive classified briefings going forward because he would sell that sh-t or reveal it for free. What concerns me as well is all of the sh-t Jared Kushner, Stephen Miller and assorted traitors have been doing for the past four years, and the knowledge they’re walking away with. God, I hope the whole fascist lot of them ends up in prison.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
Biden is taking the right approach here by saying, “I’ll leave it up to the intelligence chiefs” because he knows they’re gonna say, “Don’t do it” so he (Biden) doesn’t need to say it for them.
Trump has lost all protection now, and his insurrection attempt just solidified that nobody is gonna attempt to shield him except desperate folks with nonsense arguments.
Good. He shouldn’t get the briefings anymore. I’m all for removing anything that makes him feel important. (And that’s just my personal feelings, that’s not getting into the whole national security aspect of it).
Cut them all off! Try them in federal and state courts.
I’m afraid they’ll use the knowledge as leverage, and even in prison they can still tell the secrets.
Well duh….. seems like a prudent thing to do while he is being investigated and indicted….
Unless we want everything shared with Jared & Nagini’s nefarious business partners throughout the world, NO.
I will sleep easier at night knowing Trump and his clan get no info on security issues for our nation. Because what he knows, he certainly tells his family.
He doesn’t even take the briefings now! If everybody stops talking about it, he won’t even notice.
@Fancy Pants – You have my vote for comment of the week!
Or it was an opportunity to feed him bad info to sell to Russia and China. They will never be sure his info is legit or planted.
Big yeppers to this! Trump is too dumb to understand but Putin is smart and knows how to direct this asset.
Agreed. JFC the damage he has wrought is just breathtaking.
Yes, they should deny him and, by extension, his family, access to sensitive intelligence as he will at best let things slip and at worst sell secrets to the highest bidder.
The only reason I don’t put it at the top of the pile is (apparently) he barely reads and certainly doesn’t understand most of the information given to him unless it prominently features his own name and glossy photos.
I’m very interested to see what comes up when a competent, thorough security assessment is done of the Trump admin by, say, an investigator like Michael Lewis. I know not a week goes by where I don’t think about “The Fifth Risk” and just shudder at how tenueus these systems really are.
The real danger for intelligence briefings has never been Trump but Kushner. How else did he get the money from shady countries to finance his buildings in NY? He would never has passed a security clearance had he not been related to the president. I hope the FBI and CIA monitor the hell out of him and nagini because they will be looking to make bank with what they know before the cut off.
I assume that the family (as in crime family) will leverage their knowledge of classified materials as a way to stay out of prison and/or avoid meaningful punishment.
Absolutely, and in addition to the deep cleaning and spiritual cleansing of the White House, they should have Secret Service and the Bomb Squad examine every square inch of the White House to make sure no nasty little surprises await the President and First Lady. The Trump Crime Family are untrustworthy in ALL matters. Never forget. Nothing is beneath them.
I’m just shocked to find out that ex presidents get those kinds of briefings. Why on earth do they need new information when they’re no longer on the job? Also, US civics education in schools needs to be much better, I knew virtually nothing about the way our country runs until this past year…
Fage G., I was very surprised about ex-presidents receiving briefings as well. I wonder why this seems agreeable to do so.
Ex-Presidents are asked their thoughts and opinions on current events all the time.
Most are active on the ‘guest speaker’ circuit as it’s an extremely lucrative way to make money.
I totally understand why they still receive briefings.
It also totally goes along with the whole reverence and prestige that is applied with having been in that role.
Of course, Trump has sullied that prestige for many!
Historically, the current president has relied on their predecessors for advice, regardless of party. The ex-presidents have deep background knowledge and know the players/parties. They understand the pressures of the office in a way that no one else does. They can give a current president unvarnished truths that they may not be able to get from anyone else.
And even if Drumpf can’t make heads or tales of what intelligence he is given, we can be damn sure that Javanka will know what to do with it. Soooo no more intelligence briefings for these traitors. Although it would be interesting to see if they feed him something false and then see where it ends up. Bonus? More charges filed.
Its strange to learn about this and I watched a documentary about this on vox or vice explaining it. I don’t think the biden team will have to worry about that as I assumed he would be losing it along with other privileges once he’s impeached.