Donald Trump could skip FBI background checks to grant immediate security clearance to numerous appointees who might otherwise fail to pass traditional vetting hurdles, according to a memorandum prepared by his closest advisers.
A memo being promoted by Boris Epshteyn, a senior legal adviser to the former president, is urging him to dispense with the time-honoured convention – originally designed to protect national security – as an apparent means of packing a new administration with loyalists subordinate to him rather than the US government in general.
The move would be intended to eliminate the risk of Trump’s nominees for senior posts being subject to intrusive background investigations intended to check for criminal histories, conflicts of interest or other potential liabilities that would normally be deemed disqualifying.