President-elect Donald Trump is now receives intelligence briefings After rejecting them during his campaign, according to a source familiar with the matter and a former US official.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) briefings began shortly after the election, in keeping with a tradition begun by President Harry Truman at the end of his term, the sources said.
ODNI would not comment specifically on whether Trump has now accepted the offer of briefings.
“ODNI follows a tradition dating back to 1952 of providing intelligence briefings to the president-elect,” an ODNI spokesperson said.
The The Washington Post first reported on the briefings.
A representative for Trump’s transition team could not confirm whether Trump had begun receiving the briefings. Before the election, Trump said he did not want to receive intelligence briefings to avoid the chance of being accused of leaking information.
In 1952, President Truman ordered intelligence briefings for presidential candidates and presidents-elect to ensure a smooth transition of power and prepare a potential commander-in-chief for office. Briefings are not required by law.
When he was elected in 2016, Trump presented the intelligence community with a difficult challenge public criticism the work and integrity of spy agencies.
This time, the president-elect returns to the White House under indictment the revealer mystery information turned to foreign representatives and was indicted on federal criminal charges for allegedly storing many classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving office.
Federal prosecutors said investigators found boxes of sensitive documents stored in various locations at Mar-a-Lago, including in the bathroom, ballroom and her bedroom. Trump he pleaded not guilty and his lawyers denied any wrongdoing, saying he was entitled to the documents. The charges are expected to be dropped after his election victory this month.
Trump has promised to purge the intelligence agencies of “corrupt” or anti-democratic elements.
“We are going to clean up all the corrupt people in our national security and intelligence apparatus, and there are quite a few of them,” Trump said during the campaign. “Armed departments and institutions will be completely overhauled.”
Jake Traylor contributed.