Summary
Donald Trump’s transition team plans to grant sweeping security clearances to cabinet picks before traditional FBI background checks, delaying vetting until the new administration takes over the bureau and installs its own officials.
This move could bypass FBI scrutiny and delay classified briefings until Trump’s January 20 inauguration.
The approach reflects Trump’s distrust of the FBI, rooted in its role during the Russia investigation, and mirrors past controversies like Jared Kushner’s delayed clearance, which Trump overrode despite FBI and CIA concerns.
Critics warn this could undermine vetting and create potential security risks.
A lot of us do but are stuck in a state of learned helplessness.
What are we supposed to do, anyway? We don’t share France’s strong history of activism. Every large protest in the US has been suppressed and oppressed within my lifetime. And we’re wage slaves. We can’t leave work or we lose our income, our health insurance, leading to loss of our housing and everything else.
We’re slaves. People just have been lulled into this idea that they’re not.