Here's a paradox: Donald Trump faces trial for mishandling national secrets. But as the GOP's presidential nominee, he will be eligible for regular intelligence briefings by the federal government in the months leading up to November's election. The Biden administration is sticking with that "normally humdrum" tradition, Politico said, even though the briefings are "fraught with unusual risk this year due to the pending court case." Said one former intelligence official: "I'd be afraid about giving him stuff."
It's not just his history of cavalier treatment of classified docs, The Guardian said. Trump's "bromance" with Russian leader Vladimir Putin also raises concerns in the intelligence community. "I think Trump and Putin are natural bedfellows," said Douglas London, a retired CIA operations officer. That is why some Democrats are sounding the alarm. "There is literally nothing about Trump that suggests he would put our country's interests ahead of his own interests under almost any circumstances," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
One of Trump's former underlings is urging the White House to reconsider. "I don't think it makes any sense,” said John Bolton, who served as national security adviser before a highly publicized break with Trump. He was "perplexed" by the Biden administration's willingness to provide the briefing to Trump.
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"Trump is an anti-American, debt-ridden, unstable man who has voiced his open support for violent seditionists," Tom Nichols said at The Atlantic. For most Americans seeking security clearances to view classified information, the former president's history would be a deal-breaker. Trump has already proven he "cannot be trusted with classified information." This is why President Joe Biden's administration should skip the tradition of providing classified briefings to presidential nominees. "If Trump were a federal employee, he'd have likely already been stripped of his clearances and escorted from the building."
"If there's anyone in American politics less deserving of access to sensitive security information, I can't think of them," Steve Benen said at MSNBC. Trump has already spent years "carelessly and recklessly sharing sensitive national security information" — remember when he revealed secret info to Russian officials during an Oval Office visit in 2017? That makes a fresh round of briefings an "exceedingly dangerous idea."
"This decision is one of many where Biden is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't," Frederick Baron said at CNN. If briefings must be given, it should be with strict protocols in place — perhaps briefing Trump alone, without staff members, so that "if leaks occur he will be pinpointed as the obvious source." But it's important for Biden to uphold norms and traditions, even where Trump is concerned. Preserving American democracy means upholding the "balanced standards that have long sustained our system of government." And that means letting Trump have the briefings.
What next?
Trump doesn't seem to be doing much to allay concerns. His campaign is hiring Paul Manafort, The Washington Post said — the former lobbyist and Trump adviser whom a 2020 Senate report called a "grave counterintelligence threat" because of Manafort's links to a Russian spy. (Trump pardoned Manafort in 2020 for convictions on "money laundering, obstruction and foreign lobbying violations.") Manafort would give other prospective presidents pause, but the move would be "characteristically defiant" for Trump.
Some officials are urging the intelligence community to hold back a little bit, The Hill said. "I have to hope, and knowing the Intelligence Community as I do, that they will dumb down the briefing for Donald Trump," said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Why? "He's been so reckless."
In the meantime, the documents case against Trump isn't going away. Judge Aileen Cannon last week rejected an attempt by the former president's attorneys to dismiss the charges, said NPR. But there's a good chance that an actual trial in the case might be delayed until after the November election — by which time Americans will have decided if Trump gets to continue receiving classified briefings.
