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US President-elect Joe Biden has said the lack of information provided to his team by the Trump administration is “nothing short of irresponsible.”
The Democrat said those working on the transition ahead of his inauguration next month are still not getting the defense and national security details they need, more than a month after his election victory was declared.
“We found obstructions by the political leadership of that department [the Pentagon]”He said, adding:” And the truth is that many of the agencies that are critical to our security have suffered enormous damage. Many of them have been emptied, in personnel, capacity and morale. “
Joe Biden said the US intelligence community had been ‘gutted’ under Trump
President Trump has had a stormy relationship with the American intelligence community since his election, suggesting trusted Vladimir Putin more than his own intelligence services on Russian interference in the 2016 elections.
Intelligence briefings for incoming US presidential candidates and administration officials are held courtesy of the sitting president, but Trump continues to challenge Biden’s victory on Twitter.
Despite Trump’s claims, Joe Biden has been formally elected by members of the US Electoral College and is scheduled to take office as President of the United States on January 20, 23 days from now.
The Trump administration only authorized cooperation with Biden’s transition team on November 23. Earlier this month, Biden’s team said Pentagon officials were resisting their requests for information.
The Pentagon previously disputed these claims, and a senior official stated last week that he had conducted 163 interviews and responded to 181 requests for information for the incoming administration.
They added that the Department of Defense would continue to provide briefings and meetings, although Biden’s comments today suggest this has not been happening to his team’s liking.
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Speaking to the CBS News podcast Intelligence Matters, former CIA officer and intelligence briefer David Preiss explained how the briefings were intended to prevent candidates from saying something “galactically stupid in the election campaign” that could interfere with their own foreign policy if they won. .
In a long interviewPreiss added that he was “very concerned” about the relationship between the intelligence community and the White House under another Trump administration, but added that he was hopeful the relationship could be restored with Joe Biden.
“It seems he was a respectful recipient of the intelligence that he had,” Preiss said, adding that “most of the signs are positive that Joe Biden understands the role of intelligence in a democratic society and understands how to use it in a effective as a policy maker “.
“We don’t know what all his priorities would be, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one of those priorities was, in a sense, to re-establish the groundwork, to reestablish the foundation. [of the relationship between the White House and the intelligence community]. “
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