Exclusive: president-elect’s team planning for background checks to occur only after administration takes over bureau

Summary

Donald Trump’s transition team plans to grant sweeping security clearances to cabinet picks before traditional FBI background checks, delaying vetting until the new administration takes over the bureau and installs its own officials.

This move could bypass FBI scrutiny and delay classified briefings until Trump’s January 20 inauguration.

The approach reflects Trump’s distrust of the FBI, rooted in its role during the Russia investigation, and mirrors past controversies like Jared Kushner’s delayed clearance, which Trump overrode despite FBI and CIA concerns.

Critics warn this could undermine vetting and create potential security risks.

  • anon6789@lemmy.world
    14·
    1 day ago

    I second this. I don’t want my government to hurt anyone, even people who are ignorant or hateful.

    I certainly didn’t vote for what’s coming, and millions of others didn’t either. Countries that rely on us didn’t vote for it. Our environment didn’t vote for it. And I’m sure most of the people that were duped into voting for it didn’t really want what we’re going to get either. Some dirtbags probably did, but I think they’re still a minority, and I’d still rather those people have a chance to become good people than for them to suffer. I’d still want them to have access to free education and universal healthcare and a full social safety net if I had the power to give it to them.

    We won’t be able to walk back a lot of what might happen. We could lose millions of acres of public land to private interest. Untold destruction could destroy our remaining ecosystems irreparably. We’ve got anti-vaxxers that could kill thousands to millions. We’ve got people that want to let Palestinians, Ukrainians, and Kurds die. That stuff can’t be undone, and those people and our planet don’t deserve it because some con artists did a great job on propaganda this last half century.

    • Dragomus@lemmy.world
      11·
      10 hours ago

      Crying out “We do not deserve this!” Or “The world does not deserve this” says nothing against the facts that the American people could see this coming FOR YEARS and nothing was done, it was laughed away weakly as nonsense or misunderstood.

      Where was the massive outcry and demand for proper and swift justice for jan 6th?

      There should have been enormous (mail in) complaints about the delays and handling of the Trump cases.

      Every tv station website or newspaper downplaying Trump’s vile rhetorical speeches should have gotten thousands of complaints, mailbags filled with them.

      Millions of posters stuck on walls warning against inherent facism…

      Documentaries on Hitler’s rise…

      The supreme court should have gotten so much angry mail their front doors were inaccessible…

      Once, there were anti-communism boards, now clear signs and evidence of influence is laughed away, where was the outcry over that?

      The 500 people that went “oh no, I will write my senator/congressman about this” made an attempt perhaps but that was easily dismissed by the office clerks…

      Where were the riots on the streets demanding justice?

      None of any complaints on a massive scale happened, everything was almost seen as mild amusement and easily forgotten while the rest of the world held it’s breath.

      And by now, even before the new government is in office, everyone seems afraid to even speak up.

      Massively demand a recount, at the least! It’s not hard to delay an inauguration, can even retroactively allow new laws to go in effect if the elections were legit if so desired.

      Frankly, the US let it all happen through years of inaction and chose this fate, no ifs and or buts about it, and now it has to sit on the blisters.

      The only ones not deserving this is the rest of the world, and most likely it will permanently change from this. Since the world is far greater than America it will move on and make the USA an outcast for years to come.

      Ofcourse “Communism” will fill the gap quickly and try to consolidate all international power the US loses.

      Honestly, I hope, nay dream, the military might wake up at some point and puts a stop to the madness before the destruction is too great, and upholds the constitution, stopping it from being torn up as well. But that branch might have been corrupted too much by now.

      It will be really interesting to see how people will think of America to be “Great Again” in 5 to 10 years.

      • anon6789@lemmy.world
        1·
        5 hours ago

        I won’t argue anything you say too much. You seem to be very firm in your opinions, and overall I feel we’d agree on things more than we’d disagree.

        With that said, one of the bigger issues I have is what country is currently doing what you feel would be a better path for the US to follow? Europe has often provided a calmer voice to many issues, but it no longer feels to be the case. I’m no expert on world politics, but I can’t think of any country moving leftward as a whole right now. Europe seems to be in the middle of an anti-immigrant shift of its own, and they are helping with Ukraine in what feels on par with the US but not exceeding that aid, and it feels no one is doing much about Palestine.

        If there is someone you feel is doing better, I’d like to learn about how it works, but I feel the US is still in one of the top positions to do something. Perhaps not for a few years now, but we all seem to be on the same sinking ship right now. We may have a bigger slice of the responsibility for that, but I’m not seeing anyone else giving a better example.

        Things are going to go to shit, compared to the last 4 years, but I think it’s important we keep our heads and continue to make improvements where we can, even if that is much more local than nationally or globally. More blue states already seem to be preparing to fight some of the incoming changes, and we still have the quagmire of a court system to drag down the speed of what the new government can accomplish. A lot of nominees for cabinet roles are also outsiders and have no idea how to mobilize their workforce, and competent people will leave behind the less capable to accomplish their goals.

        It is no more time to give up than it was a month ago. Those of us that want change still have the same things to try and accomplish. We might have to figure out new ways to do it, but we’ll still keep trying.

        Most people outside political forums aren’t near as knowledgeable or informed as we tend to be, so we still need to educate people on facts and to undo disinformation when they’re ready to be receptive to it. Unless you want to go revolutionary and start hurting people physically, being engaged with your fellow countrymen is still the way forward.

        We’re allowed to be angry right now. It’s good we’re angry to an extent. But I’m not here to promote anger. I’m mostly concerned with the environment and human rights, and hate and violence I don’t think are going to help either of those causes.