This could be a big problem for the FBI.
They are planning to continue their reign of power even if Trump wins.
But one new report suggests that Trump might take their power away.
The FBI has become a dominant force in domestic U.S. politics, despite the fact they’re not supposed to be a political agency.
Donald Trump and his supporters certainly learned that the hard way during his first term when the FBI did everything they possibly could to take him down.
Now with Trump looking at a second term in office, some of his closest advisors are proposing a plan that would stop the FBI from interfering with a potential Trump administration.
If Trump is able to pull it off, it would allow him to focus on being President instead of having to worry about a rogue agency trying to stop him.
According to the Huffington Post, “A new memo being promoted by a group of former President Donald Trump’s advisers suggests he break with the longstanding practice of having the FBI vet members of his administration to receive security clearances, multiple outlets reported Sunday.”
“The document, pushed by Trump legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, suggests that instead, private sector researchers should conduct the background checks, which are meant to identify any personal issues or national security concerns about individuals before they gain access to classified information.”
The concern here is that the FBI could use the process of vetting members of his administration to try and block people whose political agenda they don’t agree with.
This would prevent Trump from implementing the policies that he was given a mandate by the American public to enact.
The article continues, “The New York Times, the first outlet to report the news, says it’s unclear whether Trump has seen the proposal and would actually agree to implement it if he wins reelection in November.”
“During his first term in office, some of Trump’s allies, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, reportedly had trouble passing the FBI background check. In his case, Trump allegedly intervened so Kushner received clearance anyway.”
Ultimately, Kushner was largely responsible for negotiating the Abraham Accords, which normalized relationships between Israel and other countries in the Middle East, so it’s a good thing the FBI wasn’t able to stop his nomination.
Trump’s advisors are clearly hoping to prevent other such situations from arising, where important nominees get blocked by politicized actors in the FBI.
But if it does happen, it will be a major step by Trump to ensure that his second term is more effective.