White House considers revoking Trump's access to intelligence briefings
Trump’s former deputy director of national intelligence among those calling for him to be barred from accessing information
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The White House is debating whether or not it will revoke Donald Trump's access to intelligence briefings in the wake of the Capitol insurrection.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked if the former president would still have access to the classified intelligence reports.
"It's something, obviously, that's under review," she said.
She noted that there had been "no determinations" made at the time the question was asked.
Former presidents typically are given access to intelligence briefings, but Democrats worry Mr Trump might abuse the information in an attempt to use it to his personal advantage.
Susan Gordon, who served as Mr Trump's principal deputy director of national intelligence, added her voice to the chorus of people calling for the former president's access to be revoked.
Ms Gordon explained her position in a Washington Post editorial. She warned that Mr Trump “has significant business entanglements that involve foreign entities” and that continued access to intelligence briefings would result in a "potential national security threat".
Former FBI Director James Comey told ABC News in an interview that the director of national intelligence, Avirl Haines, "will have to take a very hard look at whether Donald Trump should be given information, including any information that might be sensitive to the security of the United States".
Likewise, Rep. Adam Schiff, a prominent Democratic critic of the former president during the "Russiagate" scandal, said he fully opposed any argument in favour of providing Mr Trump with classified information.
“There’s no circumstance in which [Trump] should get another intelligence briefing,” he said on CBS's Face the Nation. “I don’t think he can be trusted with it now, and in the future.”
It may not be difficult to keep Mr Trump from seeking out the reports; according to a New York Times report from last year, the former president apparently did not read his intelligence briefings and struggled keeping his focus during information sessions.
Among the intelligence briefings Mr Trump skimmed over or otherwise ignored were reports given to him in January and February of 2020 that forecasted the danger of the coronavirus.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments