'What impact does Trump have?' Biden asks as he takes away 'erratic' ex-President's access to intel briefings
The speculation has proved to be true. Days after it was reported that the Joe Biden administration was considering taking away Donald Trump’s capacity to receive classified security briefings as a former commander-in-chief, the incumbent president has confirmed that the decision has indeed been taken. Speaking on CBS Evening News on Friday (January 5) night, President Biden said his predecessor will henceforth not get intelligence briefings, the reason being his “erratic behavior” which means “he might slip and say something”.
When host Norah O’Donnell asked the president in his first network news interview since taking over whether he believed Trump should get the briefings, he replied: “I think not.” Citing the reason, he said: “Because of his erratic behavior unrelated to the insurrection.”
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The 78-year-old Democrat also said that he would “rather not speculate out loud” what he fears the most if Trump gets access to highly sensitive information but felt there is “no need” for him to be involved in things since his tenure has got over.
Asked whether former Pres. Trump should still receive intelligence briefings, Pres. Biden tells no “because of his erratic behavior unrelated to the insurrection.”
— Norah O'Donnell 🇺🇸 (@NorahODonnell) February 5, 2021
Pres. Biden: "What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?” pic.twitter.com/0PCkQuM0u0
“I would rather not speculate out loud. I just think there is no need for him to have that intelligence briefing?” Biden told O’Donnell.
“What value is giving him an intelligence briefing? What impact does he have at all, other than he might slip and say something?” Biden also said in the interview that he "ran like hell" to defeat the Republican because he did not find the latter fit to be the president of the US.
It is a tradition that former presidents get routine intelligence briefings and access to classified information post their stay in the White House, although not at the very highest level as like the incumbent. The move is about enabling former presidents to continue to support the national interest and it entirely depends on the sitting president whether to allow former presidents access. But as it has always been the case, tradition and precedent have not always gone well with the maverick former president who lost the 2020 battle to remain a one-term leader.
Trump's controversial meeting with Russian representatives
Trump’s dealings in foreign affairs during his stay in office, especially with Russia, have always been suspect. It was reported during his Oval Office meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and former Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, that he revealed to them highly classified information about the Islamic State provided by a US ally, reportedly Israel. CNN cited several officials of the Trump administration to report exclusively that America extracted a top-level source in Moscow.
He had also tweeted out once what appeared to be a classified photo of an Iranian nuclear facility and said he had the power to declassify things.
Biden’s words would mean that his relation with his predecessor remains overshadowed by suspicion and mistrust. Trump did not concede defeat to Biden, who he had targeted with harsh words during the campaign, and also refused to attend his inauguration on January 20, the first outgoing president in more than 150 years to do so. As the president-elect, Biden also found it difficult to get intelligence briefing as the previous administration created hurdles on the way to the transition.
Earlier too, Trump’s political opponents have expressed concern over his conduct in office. For example, days between the Capitol Hill riots of January 6 and Biden’s inauguration, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had expressed concerns over Trump’s access to the nuclear codes as the commander-in-chief. Two days after the riots, Pelosi called former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley asking the Pentagon to take “available precautions” to halt Trump from launching the nuclear weapons in his concluding days as the president.
On February 1, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a press briefing that Trump’s privilege to get classified briefings was under review.