Advisers within Donald Trump‘s circle are reportedly promoting a plan to outsource the FBI‘s vetting of appointees, which has sparked backlash from national security experts.
The New York Times first reported on a memo circulating among the Republican presidential nominee’s advisers which details a plan to use private-sector investigators, allowing appointees to avoid lengthy FBI background checks and swiftly obtain security clearances, if Trump is reelected.
The paper noted that it is not clear if Trump himself has seen or approved the plan.
Several national security and legal experts took to social media to criticize the alleged proposal.
Barbara McQuade, a lawyer who previously served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Some campaign ideas are better than others, but privatizing security clearances is among the worst. Who gets access to America’s secrets should never be decided by someone with a profit motive.”
Former ambassador and U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice wrote on X: “More evidence that Trump will subordinate the national interest to his personal whims.”
Josh Rudolph, a fellow at the Washington, D.C. based think tank the German Marshall Fund, wrote on X: “Trump’s advisers have written a memo recommending that instead of letting the FBI do background checks before granting security clearances, the vetting could be done by private firms. What could possibly go wrong?”
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at Christ Chapel in Zebulon, Georgia, on October 23, 2024 . A controversial memo circulating among Trump advisers suggests bypassing FBI checks for appointees.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
In an emailed statement to Newsweek, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung responded by criticizing Kamala Harris, without directly addressing the background check plan.
Cheung said: “Lyin’ Kamala Harris and her Democrat Comrades have weaponized the Department of Justice to attack President Trump and his supporters. President Trump is dominating this election, is marching toward a historic win on November 5, and will then use the full powers of the Presidency to build out the Greatest Administration in American History starting on January 20, 2025.”
FBI background checks on government appointees date back to to World War II and the early Cold War, and are designed to ensure that those granted security clearances are thoroughly vetted.
The process includes checks into criminal conduct, psychological conditions, personal finances, personal life and foreign influence, among other things.
It is a criminal offense to knowingly make false statements on an official application, which incentivizes those being vetted to be honest.
Many in Trump’s inner circle have long viewed these background checks as burdensome and have been suspicious of the requirement to provide personal information, per The New York Times.
Trump himself has repeatedly expressed distrust of the FBI, accusing it of being part of a “deep state” plot against him.
The proposed plan is being pushed by Trump legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, according to The New York Times, who is one of the former president’s most influential aides.
Outsourcing background checks could allow Trump to quickly fill roles with loyalists and avoid the risks of them being disqualified by the FBI’s lengthy process.
During Trump’s first term in office, several of his appointees underwent arduous vetting processes in order to obtain security clearances, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Epshteyn.
Trump ultimately ordered officials to give Kushner clearance.
