President Donald Trump has recently implemented a policy granting temporary, six-month security clearances to incoming White House officials who have not completed the standard vetting process required to access highly-classified information. This decision has raised concerns among national security lawyers both inside and outside the government, with some describing it as unusual, if not unprecedented.
One former US official who previously worked on clearance issues in the Biden and first Trump administrations expressed worries that foreign intelligence partners may limit the information they share with the US. The concern stems from the fear that sharing sensitive intelligence with individuals who have not undergone thorough vetting could potentially compromise their sources.
