Former President Donald Trump will meet with U.S. intelligence officials for private briefings on classified national security threats after the RNC officially nominates him for the Republican Party candidate later this year, a senior intelligence official recently told Politico.
Even though the Department of Justice is prosecuting Trump in two federal cases — one for holding on to classified documents from the White House and another for rebelling against the government while he was president of it — the Biden administration plans to share intelligence, taking it seriously that the former president could be in the White House again next year.
We are heading into dangerous territory. By attempting to bankrupt, jail, and criminalize Donald Trump, the Democrats are making the argument that "we have to destroy democracy in order to save democracy." pic.twitter.com/xD5mpr4zRK
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 8, 2024
It is standard practice for the intelligence community to begin briefing presidential nominees to get them up to speed and get used to working with each other so they can hit the ground running if they prevail at the ballot box. However, the administration must not be too worried about the former president handling classified information.
Deep state agencies began briefing presidential nominees in 1952, but this was the first time an administration had volunteered to share classified information with a candidate against whom it was pressing charges for supposedly mishandling classified documents.
According to a senior intelligence official who recently spoke with Politico, the Biden administration plans to give Trump classified intelligence briefings — even if a jury in Florida convicts the former president of mishandling classified documents.
“In a blow to Jack Smith, Judge Aileen Cannon on Friday said his proposed July 8 trial date in the classified documents case against Trump is “unrealistic.” pic.twitter.com/z3wksTssc1
— Gary D (@KMGGaryde) March 1, 2024
For nearly three-quarters of a century, U.S. spy agencies have informed the candidates of the two main parties about the latest threats facing the nation, but it is not a legal requirement.
Presidents can get briefings after serving as well. Sharing intelligence with former presidents, even across party lines, is a standard practice in Washington. Biden banned Trump from getting classified intelligence briefings soon after moving into the White House in 2021. The president said Trump was being “erratic.”
A former senior official in a U.S. intelligence agency, speaking anonymously to avoid public backlash, told Politico that Trump still maintains a close relationship with foreign leaders, including Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
