Nearly eight years ago, after both major political parties had settled on their presidential nominees, then-House Speaker Paul Ryan made a pitch to then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. As the Wisconsin Republican argued at the time, it was customary for both parties’ White House hopefuls to start receiving national security briefings, but Ryan wanted to make an exception for Hillary Clinton.
Intelligence agencies, Ryan said, “should deny Hillary Clinton access to classified information during this campaign given how she so recklessly handled classified information.”
As the GOP congressman saw it, the former secretary of state had a private email server, which in his mind necessarily disqualified her from receiving sensitive national security information. Clinton, Ryan argued, simply couldn’t be trusted with classified intelligence. The risk to us all was too great.
Not surprisingly, Clapper dismissed the speaker’s appeal as nonsense, and Clinton received the briefings that have been common in recent generations. Nevertheless, Ryan’s effort came to mind anew reading this Politico report.
U.S. intelligence officials are planning to brief Donald Trump on national security matters if he secures the GOP nomination this summer — despite concerns about his handling of classified information. The decision would be in keeping with a tradition that dates back to 1952, but it would mark the first time an administration has volunteered to share classified information with a candidate who is facing criminal charges related to the mishandling of classified documents.
The report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, added that the Biden administration “intends to share intelligence with the former president no matter the outcome of his trial in Florida.”
The problem is not that this is unexpected. On the contrary, it would be more surprising if President Joe Biden and his team deliberately broke with tradition and denied…
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