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.........