Failed former president Donald Trump is refusing to let the FBI do background checks or vetting on some of the people he has nominated for top jobs in his new administration.
According to CNN, Trump is instead using private companies to do background checks, but it’s unclear if those companies are capable of such a job.
“Trump and his allies believe the FBI system is slow and plagued with issues that could stymie the president-elect’s plan to quickly begin the work of implementing his agenda, people briefed on the plans said. Critics say the intrusive background checks sometimes turn up embarrassing information used to inflict political damage.”
“The discussions come as Trump has floated several controversial choices for high-level positions in the US government – including Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence.”
Gaetz and Gabbard could never pass an FBI check because both have questionable backgrounds that include alleged illegal activity and connections to nations hostile to the United States, including Russia.
“Gaetz has been mired for years in Justice Department and House ethics investigations related to sex trafficking. The Justice Department declined to charge Gaetz, and the House ethics probe, days away from being completed, was effectively ended when the Florida congressman resigned from his seat this week. Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.”
“Gabbard, meanwhile, has frequently appeared to take positions more favorable to foreign leaders widely considered not just American adversaries but, in some cases, brutal dictators, including the presidents of Syria and Russia, raising questions from allies and critics alike.”
The CNN report set has set off alarm bells for some in Congress, including Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), who remarked, “This is an alarming step that, frankly, should alarm every American citizen who wants the basic function of government to work, who wants to ensure that the FBI, as you were reporting earlier, is able to investigate terrorist threats,” she said. “The fact that they would avoid a traditional background check process to me means they know they can’t pass it, and what it means is that information that would be available to the FBI just won’t even be considered.”