Trump addresses his supporters during a rally held in Ohio (European News Agency)
The Politico website quoted a senior intelligence official and a knowledgeable source as saying that President Joe Biden's administration intends to exchange intelligence information related to national security with former President Donald Trump if he obtains the Republican nomination, despite concerns about his handling of classified information.
US intelligence used to share some secret information about the dangers facing the United States with the candidates for the presidency of the country who had the confidence of both the Republican and Democratic parties.
The decision is in line with a tradition dating back to 1952, but it will be the first time that a US administration has volunteered to share confidential information with a candidate facing criminal charges related to mishandling confidential documents.
Several current and former intelligence and national security officials who spoke with POLITICO said the decision is fraught with unusual risks this year because of the pending court case and Trump's historically cavalier attitude toward national security information.
A former senior US intelligence official, who remained anonymous to avoid backlash from Trump's camp, noted that Trump still maintains close ties with foreign leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and could use the information to support them or advance his own interests.
Trump once relayed details of a top-secret Israeli intelligence operation to senior Russian officials, and in another instance he tweeted a photo taken by a spy satellite.
Shortly after Biden took office, he barred Trump from receiving separate intelligence briefings normally given to former US presidents, and Biden said he "wanted to avoid the risk that Trump might slip up and say something."
New situation
John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser and an outspoken critic of his former boss, said the pending court case could justify postponing Trump's briefing.
He added, “We have not faced this situation before, but I think logic could dictate to Biden that he would not give Trump an intelligence briefing.”
But for the White House, choosing not to extend that tradition to Trump is likely to embolden the former president's claims — in court and out — that the intelligence community is biased against him.
It could further muddy his already fraught relations with the same agencies that Trump will have to rely on to navigate conflicts around the world if he wins in November.
Current and former officials noted that briefings to presidential candidates, while classified, exclude sensitive sources and methods.
A senior official said there is nothing legally preventing the administration from sharing classified materials with Trump even if he is convicted at his trial in Florida.
Trump faces 40 charges related to keeping highly protected national security documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and obstructing government efforts to recover them.
He also faces three other criminal trials unrelated to his handling of classified materials.
It is not clear when Trump will be tried on charges of keeping secret documents at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, when he left the White House, or whether the case will be decided before the elections.
Source: Al Jazeera + Politico