The Biden Administration is considering revoking former President Donald Trump’s access to intelligence briefings after critics voice out concern that he will use it to his personal advantage.
When a reporter asked whether Trump will continue to receive classified information, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that President Joe Biden’s national security team was reviewing the matter.
“This is a good question,” Psaki answered. “It’s something obviously that’s under review.”
Access to intelligence briefings and classified information is a luxury typically granted to former presidents, but Democratic critics believe that Trump must not be trusted with state secrets.
The tradition is in place to keep former leaders informed as they speak on matters of domestic and foreign policy, and meet with foreign leaders.
However, it is believed that not all former presidents takes advantage of this privilege, and it is unclear if former President Barrack Obama received intelligence briefings while Trump was in office.
“There’s no circumstance in which [Trump] should get another intelligence briefing,” Democratic Representative Adam Schiff and chairperson of the House Intelligence Committee said last month.
“I don’t think he can be trusted with it now, and in the future.”
Insiders previously revealed that Trump rarely read the intelligence reports supplied to him while he was in office, and would choose to glance at charts, tables and other visuals.
White House chief of staff Ron Klain said in an interview last month that the new commander-in-chief must receive a completed review from his national security advisors before making a decision on the matter.
“We’ll certainly look for a recommendation from the intelligence professionals in the Biden administration,” said Klain in an interview.
“We will act on that recommendation.”
This task will fall to Morgan Muir, veteran CIA analyst who previously briefed former President George W. Bush.