With Elon’s laser focus on efficiency, the Trump campaign is already doing some real outside-the-box thinking. Sunday, the New York Times reported that at least six Trump advisers have composed a memo suggesting Trump appointees be cleared through a private agency. Normally, presidential appointees have their backgrounds investigated by FBI agents assigned to the Spin Squad, located at Washington Field Office’s (WFO) Northern Virginia Resident Agency (NVRA). The squad conducts a plethora of background investigations, to include federal judicial nominees and appointments.
John Solomon’s Just The News reported, “Under the proposal, private-sector investigators would conduct the background checks on potential appointees, the sources said.” Boris Epshteyn, a legal advisor to Trump, was named as one possible source of this proposal.
Farming out background investigation responsibilities is a very good idea. Not because some nefarious elements within WFO’s Spin Squad lie in wait to derail Trump appointments (in my opinion pure nonsense), but because it would be a welcome move toward real efficiencies.
For those who may object to farming out security clearance checks for appointees based on security concerns, FBI agents themselves are background checked by an outside agency as part of the hiring process. Background Investigations Contract Services (BICS) is a government program that contracts (for FBI employee background investigations) with retired 1811 employees. BICS investigators maintain a Top Secret security clearance and usually have decades of investigative experience. Because they are contract employees and spend much of their time in the field, they perform their duties largely disassociated from a bureaucratic, managerial structure. BICS, or a properly vetted private source, could easily and efficiently do what Trump advisors are suggesting.
Trump has demonstrated some exceptionally clear thinking when it comes to the FBI—more impressive, given the crusade by FBI executive management to attack and discredit him. The list of FBI politicized attacks on Trump is shamefully long, and its principle architect was former FBI Director James Comey. He infamously held the press briefing exonerating Hillary Clinton for her enumerated felonies, all in a vain attempt to thwart Trump’s 2016 presidential bid.
As Trump has admitted, keeping Comey around was a big mistake. Replacing him with current Director Christopher Wray, on the advice of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, was no better. To put it in Trump’s terms, Wray has turned out to be a “stiff.” Or, a veritable empty suit. During Trump’s recent interview with Joe Rogan, he explained the difficulties inherent in making presidential appointments. Appointees tend to be known quantities, people with extensive government histories, and have been vetted over the years. Bringing in people from the outside presents real risk, not knowing what skeletons may lurk in dark closets.
However, career government employees or politicians tend to form survival strategies that strongly bias them to avoid risk and maintain status quo. That’s Wray in a nutshell—a professional survivor that has no proclivity to take counter-culture positions. The FBI is in its current state of woke weaponization due to Director Wray’s failure to aggressively push back on DOJ and White House overreach. But that’s what safe, fully vetted, career bureaucrats tend to do. Whether conscious or not, it’s a thoroughly careerist perspective.
Trump indicated to Rogan that he’s not making the same mistake again, if given the opportunity to serve the American people for a second term. That’s incredibly reassuring to hear, given that my harshest criticism of Trump’s first term was his somewhat checkered performance on appointments. As an FBI agent, I chaffed under the lackluster and, at times, openly hostile actions of Comey toward Trump. Wray just seems to want to go along to get along. That’s certainly not what the FBI needs, laboring under a top-heavy executive management structure, and drowning in incredibly destructive DEI mandates. I’m optimistic that further efficiencies will be implemented by a new FBI Director with a mandate to reform with particular emphasis in dismantling the DEI commissariats that have risen like boils on the storied investigative agency.
Obviously, Trump builds things, and understands the value of structure. He’s also wise enough to understand how important institutions like the FBI are to maintaining a cohesive, effective government.
One of my favorite moments from Trump’s interview with Rogan illustrates his dispassionate analytical skill and span of knowledge — otherwise known as street sense. Trump told Rogan, "...FBI is great...not the top people...the real people. It's like the generals I told you about that defeated ISIS in record time...I'll bet you I'd be at 95% in the FBI." Rogan followed with, "I bet that's right." As a retired FBI agent, I can attest to the existence of a great many good men and women who struggle against the machine, and still remain faithful to their oaths.
This is contrary to a smattering of shyster conmen, colloquially known as “formers," who hope to create a cottage industry out of maligning FBI agents -- all in an effort to clickbait farm, sell silly books, and monetize social media accounts.
Contrary to the machinations of hucksters, commonsense governance, like outsourcing background investigation responsibilities, will once again restore luster to the office of The President should Trump regain the White House.
In addition, Trump’s statement correlates with what I know about the brick agents who continue to work in dangerous environments and bring criminals to justice. Talk of dismantling/abolishing/defunding the FBI is, at best, reckless. At worst, it’s complicit in furthering the goals of foreign powers.
Clearly, the FBI is in need of reform. Trump recognizes this, but rightly defends, as he puts it, "the real people." Categorical statements advocating for the abolishment of the FBI or demonizing FBI agents come from unserious, intellectually limited, and/or disingenuous people. I'm looking forward to Trump's victory in November, and an FBI led by a new Director with a mandate to lance every DEI pustule, denude FBI HQ of it's politicized managerial class, and deliver an FBI the American people deserve.