The White House says, as has been customary with past presidents, the intelligence community will review all incoming calls for intelligence briefings from former President Donald Trump, but he has not yet made any.
White House urged to review Trump's intelligence requests
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 12: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One on January 12, 2021 in Washington, DC. Following last week's deadly pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol, President Trump is making his first public appearance with a trip to the town of Alamo, Texas to view the partial construction of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Officials usually support requests by a former President. On Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told CNN that the intelligence community supports intelligence briefings requested by former presidents and will review incoming requests.
The former president has not requested any at this time; a senior administration official told CNN. The official said several ways information can be presented should any proposal come through, something the intelligence community will create.
Critics have been worrying about Trump's future sensitivity to classified data while he is out of office. After the US Capitol protest in Washington, former Trump senior deputy director of national intelligence Sue Gordon wrote on Washington Post op-ed saying the former president "might be unusually vulnerable to bad actors with ill intent" once he's out of office.
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Ron Klain, who is now President Joe Biden's chief of staff, did not rule out banning Trump from intelligence briefings ahead of Inauguration Day. Trump also displayed mistrust and, often, contempt for the intelligence community during his tenure in office.
After the intelligence community's inspector general, Michael Atkinson, told Congress of the unnamed informant lawsuit, Trump removed him. The lawsuit alleged that Trump sought dirt on Biden and removed U.S. security assistance from Ukraine-a complaint that contributed to Trump's impeachment. The then-President Trump had loyalists in top intel posts installed, as per CNN.
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White House considers barring Trump from receiving intelligence briefings
According to Intel News, Biden and his top advisors are "reviewing" the potential of restricting briefings containing sensitive information from being obtained by his predecessor, Donald Trump. Such an incident will mark a dramatic break from the long-standing practice of supplying recent American presidents with intelligence briefings who wish to continue to receive them after leaving office.
Even since leaving office, the rationale behind allowing former American presidents' access to confidential information is that they typically retain a visible political presence and global impact.
Many maintain a busy schedule, including frequent meetings with foreign dignitaries, where state relations are addressed. Therefore, intelligence briefings will help them communicate with confidence on different domestic and foreign policy issues.
According to several American media reports, Trump will not be given the privilege. White House press secretary Jen Psaki's response to a question raised Monday by NBC reporter Geoff Bennett ignited the topic. Bennett asked Psaki whether the Biden administration had agreed if Trump could continue having access to classified information.
Psaki replied by telling Bennett that he had asked "a good question" and added that the issue is "obviously under review." Nevertheless, "no determination" was yet made, said Psaki.
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