Advisers propose that Trump grant security clearances without F.B.I. vetting

October 28, 2024

A memo circulating among at least half a dozen advisers to former President Donald Trump recommends that, if he is elected, he bypass traditional background checks by law enforcement officials and immediately grant security clearances to a large number of his appointees after being sworn in, three people briefed on the matter told The New York Times this week.

The proposal is being promoted by a small group including Boris Epshteyn, a top legal adviser to Trump who was influential in its development, according to the three people. It is not clear whether Trump has seen the proposal or whether he is inclined to adopt it if he takes office.

It would allow him to quickly install loyalists in major positions without subjecting them to the risk of long-running and intrusive F.B.I. background checks, potentially increasing the risks of people with problematic histories or ties to other nations being given influential White House roles. Such checks hung up clearances for a number of aides during Trump’s presidency; including Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Epshteyn, himself.

The proposal suggests using private-sector investigators and researchers to perform background checks on Trump’s intended appointees during the transition, cutting out the role traditionally played by F.B.I. agents, the three people said.

Once Trump takes the oath of office, he would then summarily approve a large group for access to classified secrets, they said.

A number of Trump’s advisers—and the former president himself—have long viewed background checks for security clearances with deep suspicion. They believe that the process is designed to make challenges to outcomes difficult, and that personal pieces of information submitted during the vetting can be disseminated later for damaging results. Trump has long railed about the F.B.I. being part of a “deep state” conspiracy to undermine him.

But a change that would allow a president with a record of flouting norms and rules for the handling of classified material to further sidestep existing guardrails would raise new questions about the adequacy of the system protecting national security secrets.

It is not clear what positions the altered system would cover, but the people familiar with the proposal said it appeared to apply to a large number of potential Trump appointees in a second administration.

Research contact: @nytimes