Last week, The Washington Post reported that President-elect Donald Trump has had only two intelligence briefings since the election, a notable shift from the daily briefings President Obama and former President George W. Bush made room for between their elections and taking office. On CNN's State of the Nation, Trump senior aide Kellyanne Conway did not exactly deny the report. "So, he is receiving classified intelligence briefings, and the president-elect is also receiving information through his personal and on-the-phone meetings with over what's now 41 world leaders," she told CNN's Dana Bash, "in addition to meeting with 60 men and women who could serve in his government."
Bash asked again if Trump had turned down classified briefings, and Conway said she "can't discuss that publicly," but that Trump is "the most engaged individual I've ever met, and brilliant to boot, and he is certainly availing himself of the information that is provided to him from a number of sources, including those intelligence briefings." But shouldn't he be getting daily briefings, "especially given the fact that President-elect Trump has no experience in government or the military?" Bash asked. Conway said Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence "are receiving a steady stream of information, including intelligence, that will further prepare them" to be president and vice president. Pence has been making room for intelligence briefings almost every day, The Washington Post reported. Watch the interview below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debtCartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipeThe Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
The Biden cover-up: a 'near-treasonous' conspiracyTalking Point Using 'Trumpian' tactics, the former president's inner circle maintained a conspiracy of silence around his cognitive and physical decline
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA reportspeed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign studentsspeed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulingsSpeed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administrationspeed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals courtspeed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffsspeed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visasspeed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of briberyspeed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges
