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Since Biden took office, allied intelligence agencies seem more willing to share secrets.
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Sources told Insider that they are comfortable with President Biden’s call to end his predecessor’s instructions.
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Some allies were frightened and held back after Trump shared secret information with Russia in 2017.
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President Joe Biden’s measures to restrict Donald Trump’s access to intelligence have assured European allies that they can freely share with the U.S. again, sources told Insider.
Officials from three different intelligence services in Europe responded warmly to Biden’s comments in his first TV interview as president, where he said he did not want Trump to continue receiving intelligence briefings.
Previous presidents received the briefings as a courtesy, which the current president can cancel at any time.
Although Biden said he saw no need for Trump to remain informed, he avoided saying definitively that he would cut him off.
However, the move reassured the intelligence officials Insider spoke to, all of whom requested anonymity due to the nature of their work.
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One, a senior official from a European country that is also a member of NATO, said: “This was expected and is a somewhat symbolic move – but it puts an end to the extraordinary situation in which services like ours are reluctant to share important details due to the fear that these details would pass from the national security community to the president, who would then report them to the Russian ambassador. “
He was referring to an incident in the first month of the Trump administration, where Trump shared critical intelligence with the Russian ambassador who could have revealed an ISIS-related Israeli intelligence source.
The incident shocked U.S. allies, whose officials suggested they were reluctant to share information that could end Trump.
Biden in his interview seemed to have similar scenarios in mind when he cited Trump’s risk of “slipping and saying something” as a reason to restrict his access.
The intelligence officer continued: “There were concerns about Trump based on his reputation for criminal behavior and close ties to Russian elements … considered suspect at best,” said the official.
“And many things have happened since 2017 – none of which are good, I might add – but it was at this point that everyone became much more careful when sharing with Americans.”
(The source did not expand on the other incidents he meant – and while there were accusations about Trump’s proximity to Russia, little evidence was presented and he was not charged with any crime.)
Two other sources with EU member states agreed with the first source that Biden’s position would restore confidence and improve the sharing of intelligence that had been emphasized by the Trump administration.
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Both sources, however, refused to comment further or to be identified due to the delicacy of the matter.
Not all US allies see the change of government in the same way. A retired Israeli official, who requested anonymity because he still assists the government in some intelligence matters, admitted that the January 2017 incident caused concern.
But he said it did not affect the overall relationship much, and that Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service, “cannot complain about the treatment given by the Trump administration.”
When asked if Israeli officials have reduced sharing with the US, he just said, “The Mossad is always careful when sharing information and intelligence. You never give it to anyone, except for good reason. So everything is considered.”
The relationship was too good to worry about Trump’s lapses, the Israeli said.
“When you agree with critical policies, it makes it easy to make adjustments to your personality,” said the official. Israel and Trump were closely aligned on issues, including how to deal with Iran.
The first official insider he spoke with pointed out that Biden’s greater willingness to confront Vladimir Putin from Russia was also already being felt.
“The substance of cooperation and an honest effort to confront Putin can already be felt,” said the official.
“Things have quickly returned to normal and one of the reasons for this is that Europe and its American ally can speak freely about what we know about Putin. Not being able to do that encouraged Putin and made us weaker.”
Read the original article on Business Insider