I predicted in another article that Trump would try to skip appointees' background checks and/or use a private company to do the vetting. Seems I was right.
In 1947, President Truman started the tradition of background checks by ordering it done for every civilian in government. President Eisenhower started the background checks for appointees by the FBI. It was during the "find every communist in government and the entertainment industry" era of Joe McCarthy.
To bypass this tradition and necessary duty is really frightening.
One of the main purposes is to find out if an appointee is ripe for blackmail. With any position that requires a security clearance, this need is beyond question.
Trump wants to avoid any check on some of his top level appointments, and to use a private company for administrative jobs. The FBI process can be slow but actually works. Cult members he wants to hire wouldn't pass the the FBI screening, so using a private company makes it seem like the vetting process is taking place when it's actually a rubber stamp.
So, of course, this would slow up implementing Trump's agenda, if he did the regular FBI background checks. Trump has the final say on his nominees and who he decides to share intelligence with, but Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard, and Pete Hegseth, are special cases.
Gaetz would be subject to blackmail with the sex trafficking and drug allegations. Tulsi Gabbard is a pawn of Putin and other dictators. Hegseth also has a checkered background. None of them would pass an FBI background check, as well as being totally unqualified for the job.
Speaker Mike Johnson just announced that he's going to request the ethics report on Matt Gaetz NOT be released, saying it's not "relevant," and that "it would be a terrible precedent to set." This the same weasel-in-arms who didn't want Jan. 6th rioters faces shown and had a big part in the event. It's not just relevant, it's critical to the confirmation process. The Senate appears to have more of a spine.
Trump ignored everybody in the FBI when he basically ordered Jared Kushner to be given a security clearance in his first term.
The other job of a background check is to eliminate possibilities of a conflict of interest.
The delay in security clearances delays the dissemination of classified intelligence to top level appointees.
Just like Trump delayed actions in all his civil and criminal cases, he's delaying this necessary function for getting the government up and running in his administration. He hasn't signed the memorandums of understanding and secrecy agreements to allow classified information to be heard so the government transitioning into power knows what it's doing and what's happening, and promising that he won't hire people with conflicts of interest.
Instead, Trump is doing his own internal vetting for positions. Based on who he has nominated, that internal vetting is not going to be very good.
Until he's sworn in on January 20th, vetting problems will prevent him from giving intelligence to people, which is especially problematic for high positions, like Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Director of National Intelligence, Director of the CIA, and the Attorney General. All those picks are up in the air simply because of their suspect backgrounds, that we already know about. Who knows what the FBI would really find.
Trump's hatred of the FBI goes way back. The Mueller investigation got him angry at both the Justice Department as well as the FBI. He was none too pleased with the search of Mar-a-Lago. When the FBI director didn't verify in a hearing that Trump was hit by a bullet, instead of a piece of glass or shrapnel, that was just another part of the pile. Even though Trump appointed Christopher Wray as Director of the FBI, you can bet Trump is going to replace him. Rumors are already circulating that Trump is thinking of Kash Patel, almost as much a disgusting human as Stephen Miller.
So you've got the FBI, which Trump hates, and the intelligence services all waiting for Trump to sign the memorandum of understanding and the secrecy documents. He gummed up the works in getting his first administration going. Then he screwed up allowing Biden to get his transition going. This is par for the course with Trump. But this time the quality of his nominees is causing great concern for everyone in Congress and obviously journalists too.
What is the general public thinking about all of this? Are they giving Trump a pass because he's going to get rid of the Deep State that doesn't exist, but they're convinced is ruining their lives? Is it split between Republicans and Democrats?
As Republican Senators say they aren't going to vote for Matt Gaetz, Congress at least is taking notice, and actually thinking about doing their jobs.
Trump has the ability to use the Constitution to adjourn both houses and then do his recess appointments. Who would win then if the Senate decides to do proforma sessions where one Senator can open and close the Senate without any legislation being produced or voted on? Article II Section 3 allows Trump to adjourn both houses. It has never been done by any president in history. Trump also has to wait until he's president, so this would be after January 20th.
Confirmation hearings could be held right now. The question is with the major candidates being criticized for lack of experience and previous activities, what is the Senate planning to do?
