WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is considering revoking former President Donald Trump’s access to intelligence briefings just weeks after he left the Oval Office.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Monday confirmed that President Biden’s national security team was reviewing Trump’s access when asked by a reporter if they would “continue to extend the privilege” of classified information to Trump.
“This is a good question,” Psaki said. “It’s something obviously that’s under review.”
Past presidents are traditionally given intelligence briefings and access to classified information, but some Democratic critics of Trump have argued he should not be trusted with state secrets in the wake of the deadly US Capitol siege.
At Monday’s briefing, the same reporter pointed Psaki to “concerns among some Democrats” that Trump would either “misuse” the information “or leverage it to enrich himself.”
“There’s no circumstance in which this president should get another intelligence briefing, not now, not in the future,” House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told CBS’ “Face the Nation” last month.
“I don’t think he can be trusted with it now and in the future, he certainly can’t be trusted,” he went on.
Ultimately, the decision will come down to Biden.
In an interview last month, White House chief of staff Ron Klain said the new commander in chief would wait until a review had been completed by his national security advisors before making any decision.
“‘We’ll certainly look for a recommendation from the intelligence professionals in the Biden administration,” Klain told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
“We will act on that recommendation,” he said.