Advisers within Donald Trump‘s circle are reportedly promoting a plan to outsource the FBI‘s vetting of appointees, which has sparked backlash from national security experts.
The New York Times first reported on a memo circulating among the Republican presidential nominee’s advisers which details a plan to use private-sector investigators, allowing appointees to avoid lengthy FBI background checks and swiftly obtain security clearances, if Trump is reelected.
The paper noted that it is not clear if Trump himself has seen or approved the plan.
Several national security and legal experts took to social media to criticize the alleged proposal.
Barbara McQuade, a lawyer who previously served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Some campaign ideas are better than others, but privatizing security clearances is among the worst. Who gets access to America’s secrets should never be decided by someone with a profit motive.”
Former …