President Joe Biden recently opined on whether former President Donald Trump should be blocked from getting intelligence reports. The subject is not new. Back on Jan. 17, 2021, according to Evie Fordham of Fox News, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) said, "President Trump should be barred from receiving intelligence briefings after he leaves office, an opportunity traditionally extended to [a] former president."
Whoa, let's stop a moment. Liberty Nation has reported on the quality of Schiff’s intellectual integrity when it comes to handling intelligence. In Summer 2020, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Schiff said that Trump and his Vice President Mike Pence had been briefed on a scheme by Russia to offer monetary rewards for killing American troops in Afghanistan. The Democrats immediately claimed that Trump and Pence hid the information. The accusation proved false. But someone did know about it and kept it to himself: Schiff.
If the Democrats are serious about protecting classified intelligence, their concern should not be Trump. Case in point: Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA). According to Nicholas Reimann, in Forbes, Swalwell:
"has come under intense scrutiny and some sharp criticism, especially from Republicans … after it was revealed that a suspected spy for the Chinese Communist Party worked as a prominent Swalwell fundraiser for years—to the point she was able to influence a job hire in his Congressional office—leading to some calls for his removal from the House intelligence committee even though he hasn't been accused of wrongdoing by authorities."
Amazingly, major media outlets have not been all that interested in Swalwell's relationship with an alleged Communist Chinese spy. But LN's Joe Schaeffer is. He pointed out soon after the Swalwell story broke:
"Swalwell has been one of the more vocal Democrats criticizing President Trump over alleged Russian ties. The news site Axios reports that an attractive Chinese female spy going by the name of Fang Fang or Christine Fang ‘took part in fundraising activity for Swalwell's 2014 re-election campaign, according to a Bay Area political operative and a current U.S. intelligence official. Swalwell's office was directly aware of these activities on its behalf, the political operative said,' Axios detailed. Furthermore, 'Fang helped place at least one intern in Swalwell's office, according to those same two people, and interacted with Swalwell at multiple events over the course of several years.'"
So, you may say to yourself: "Well, that's the end of Swalwell being a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence." But you'd be wrong. He is still privy to the most sensitive information in the United States. Is it a stretch to imagine that if Swalwell were a Republican, he would have been drummed out of Congress in a nanosecond? For some reason, these indiscretions -- scandals by any other name – end up being badges of honor for Democrats.
The press, which never squelches an opportunity to bash Trump, was aflutter with the news that Biden didn't think the former president should get intelligence updates. According to Morgan Phillips, reporting for Fox News, "President Biden said his predecessor should not receive intelligence briefings which are routinely given to former presidents."
As Phillips noted, CBS Evening News’ Norah O'Donnell asked Biden in an interview if President Trump should be given the same deference as other former U.S. presidents. Biden responded, "I think not. I just think there is no need for him to have intelligence briefings. What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?"
It seems less likely that Trump will "slip and say something" and more likely that a prominent Democrat consorting with a campaign fundraiser-spy might drop a tidbit of sensitive national security info. Biden might check his party leaders before he points the finger at others.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliation.
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Read more from Dave Patterson.
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