Last Updated on November 16, 2024
The left clamors as President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has decided to bypass FBI background checks for a few Cabinet picks, utilizing private companies for the vetting instead.
CNN reported that according to Trump and Republicans, the FBI vetting system is seen as slow and riddled with issues that could potentially hinder the president-elect’s swift execution of his agenda. Trump’s allies argue that these in-depth background checks could unearth embarrassing information that might be utilized for political purposes.
Two standout picks in consideration are Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, as indicated by various reports circulating online.
Nevertheless, the final say on nominations and determinations regarding intelligence disclosure rests with the president. The latter aspect has provided Democrats with a platform to raise concerns about foreign connections and national security issues concerning their political opponents.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz says that Tulsi Gabbard is a “Russian asset.”
You simply should not be allowed to defame somebody like this on cable TV without consequences. pic.twitter.com/fduHdchEnr
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) November 15, 2024
CNN claimed that these background checks adhere to “a long-established norm in Washington,” and the Trump team’s decision to bypass “reflects Trump’s deep mistrust of the national security establishment … the Deep State.”
Dan Meyer, a national security attorney in Washington, DC, told the outlet that the Trump team “doesn’t want harmony.”
[They] don’t want the FBI to coordinate a norm; they want to hammer the norm.
According to a leaked memo obtained by CNN, the Trump team plans to hire private researchers to move more efficiently through background checks. This is against the wishes of Democrats who wish to stonewall the progress of the 47th president.
Gaetz, for one, has run into issues with the Department of Justice and the House ethics committee relating to alleged sex trafficking. The DOJ ended up declining to charge Gaetz. As for the House ethics probe, it essentially ended after Gaetz resigned from his congressional seat this week. Still, some Republicans, particularly those sponsored by AIPAC, have urged for more to be done. Zionist outlets like The Wall Street Journal have also taken a hardline stance against the former Florida rep.
GOP Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis on Matt Gaetz:
Cornyn: “I think there should not be any limitation on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation, including, whatever the House Ethics Committee has generated.”
Tillis: “I barely know Gaetz. All I know is he likes… pic.twitter.com/mWlFRRTqOu
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) November 15, 2024
Meanwhile, Gabbard has been under fire for her actions abroad in foreign affairs. The Hawaiian Democrat is a strong voice against the wars in the Middle East, making her an easy target for the aforementioned ideologues within the GOP and the media.
In 2017, she met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying two years later he was “not an enemy of the United States” on MSNBC. In 2022, she also blamed the Biden administration for the invasion of Ukraine and truthfully asserted Russia’s security concerns with Ukraine becoming a possible member of NATO.
This war and suffering could have easily been avoided if Biden Admin/NATO had simply acknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine’s becoming a member of NATO, which would mean US/NATO forces right on Russia’s border
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) February 24, 2022
Those two sentiments of Gabbard take charge against the establishment left and the right, which news outlets will champion as a “threat to democracy” rather than a shift in foreign policy philosophy.
Trump can bypass the drama with Gaetz by ordering security clearance like he did with his son-in-law Jared Kushner. CNN reported that Trump had ordered clearances to approximately 25 individuals whose applications were initially denied.
Still, bypassing the vetting process won’t stop the FBI from requesting an investigation via the Senate. As it stands, professionals believe it would be hard to investigate without that much-needed permission.
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The Trump transition team has not submitted the list of names and roles within the Cabinet for formal vetting but instead has focused on its own internal vetting. Outlets report that it could potentially delay the release of classified intel to the next Trump administration and, in turn, slow Trump’s resurgence.
