Washington – The White House is examining whether former President Donald Trump should continue to receive intelligence briefings now that he is out of office, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday.
Psaki told reporters during the White House press conference that she raised the question of Trump’s access to the country’s secrets with President Biden’s national security teams.
“It is obviously something that is being revised, but there was no conclusion the last time I asked them about it, but I am happy to follow along and see if there is more to share,” said Psaki.
Former presidents typically continue to receive routine intelligence briefings and have access to confidential information. But just before Trump stepped down last month, Sue Gordon, the former deputy director of national intelligence, suggested that this privilege should not be available to the 45th president.
“My recommendation, as a veteran of more than 30 years in the intelligence community, is not to provide him with a briefing after January 20,” wrote Gordon in The Washington Post. “With this simple act – which is the exclusive prerogative of the new president – Joe Biden can mitigate an aspect of the potential national security risk posed by ordinary Donald Trump.”
Gordon said Trump’s post-presidential “security profile” is “scary”.
House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, also said last month that he does not believe Trump should have access to confidential information as a private citizen.
“There is no circumstance in which this president should receive another intelligence briefing – neither now, nor in the future,” said Schiff in an interview with “Face the Nation”. “I don’t think he can be trusted for that now, and in the future he will certainly not be trusted.”
Asked about the issue last month, White House chief of staff Ron Klain told CNN that Biden “would seek a recommendation from government intelligence professionals” before determining whether to prevent Trump from receiving instructions.