Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from the state of Maryland, has raised concerns about the Trump-Vance transition team’s handling of FBI background checks for President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees.
In a letter to transition team co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon, Raskin pointed out that while an agreement had been made with the FBI to conduct background checks, it remained unclear whether all nominees would be required to submit to these checks.
He noted reports that some nominees were refusing to undergo FBI reviews, and the transition team was allegedly turning to private companies for security clearances, bypassing the standard vetting process.
Raskin urged the transition team to “clearly and unequivocally commit to requiring that all nominees undergo FBI background checks and submit to vetting before receiving access to classified information.”
He referenced statements from Senate Republicans calling for adherence to precedent in requiring background checks. Raskin also warned about the “many shortcomings” of using private companies for vetting, which he claimed could expose the process to serious risks.
Raskin further requested that the transition team provide any contracts with private companies used for background checks and vetting by December 20.
Additionally, he raised concerns about Boris Epshteyn, a Republican strategist reportedly involved in a pay-for-play scheme, requesting that the transition team provide all documents related to any reviews of his actions.
Raskin warned, “This is precisely the type of permissive environment in which individuals with undisclosed and unvetted security vulnerabilities can engage in nefarious conduct that could risk American security.”
