Democrats Turn Up The Heat On Trump For FBI Background Checks

Democrats are going into watchdog mode and not falling for Trump's stunts as the president-elect tries to avoid background checks for his nominees.

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Democrats Aren’t Falling For Trump’s Con

There has never been a president-elect who didn’t want to have their nominees subjected to an FBI background check. Incoming presidents are supposed to want to ensure that none of their nominees are compromised in a way that would prevent them from doing the best job possible for the American people.

Donald Trump has resisted having the FBI do background checks of his nominees, and there is no certainty that the background checks will ever take place even though the media took Trump’s word for it that they will.

One of the people who doesn’t believe Trump is Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who currently serves as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.

Rep. Raskin wrote in a letter to the Trump transition:

I write today to seek clear assurance that the Trump-Vance Transition will require that all nominees receive a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background check before they are considered by the Senate and submit to vetting before they are afforded access to classified information, consistent with standard practice across administrations. Echoing the promises President-Elect Donald Trump made on the campaign trail, a Trump-Vance Transition spokesperson recently asserted that the President-Elect’s nominees “reflect his priority to put America First.”

However, several of the nominees announced so far appear to have significant ties to U.S. adversaries, be vulnerable to blackmail or other forms of coercion, or lack even the most basic credentials needed to effectively protect U.S. interests and national security.

While I understand the Trump-Vance Transition has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice that makes it possible for the FBI to conduct background checks, it remains unclear whether the Transition will require nominees to submit to them.

In fact, reports indicate that some nominees may be refusing to undergo FBI background checks before the Trump Administration takes office. Reporting also suggests that despite the new agreement, the Transition may be planning to use private companies—and not the FBI—to conduct background checks on some of its nominees and to give certain appointees security clearances on the first day of the Trump-Vance Administration without any of the standard vetting. Given this muddled record, I urge you to clearly and unequivocally commit to requiring that all nominees undergo FBI background checks and submit to vetting before receiving access to classified information.

Raskin also demanded that the Trump transition turn over documents, contracts, and communications on nominee background checks to the Oversight Committee by December 20.

Democrats Are Moving Into Watchdog Mode