After months of holding off on filing some official transition forms, President-elect Donald Trump‘s team announced Tuesday that it had entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Justice Department, paving the way for FBI background checks.
“This agreement with the Department of Justice will ensure President Trump and his team are ready on Day 1 to begin enacting the America First Agenda that an overwhelming majority of our nation supported on Election Day,” incoming Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles said in a statement.
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The MOU will allow Trump’s administration officials to submit their names for background checks and security clearances, a key priority for a bipartisan group of lawmakers after it appeared that some appointees would skip the process.
It is a long-standing tradition for appointees to undergo a background check, but it is not required by law, which Trump had once appeared likely to eschew as some of his controversial Cabinet nominees garnered negative media attention.
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick to lead the intelligence community, was once placed on a federal aviation watchlist and Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth has been on the receiving end of negative reports about sexual assault stemming from a 2017 case — prompting certain lawmakers to push for the checks.
Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for appointees to receive FBI background checks in a letter this week to incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).
“As we transition to the 119th Congress, Senate Democrats stand ready and willing to work with Senate Republicans to provide advice and consent as we evaluate all of the incoming president’s nominations,” Schumer wrote.
“In particular, we commit to working in a bipartisan fashion to process each nominee by reviewing standard FBI background-investigation materials, scheduling hearings and markups in the committees of jurisdiction, and considering nominees on the Senate floor,” Schumer continued.
On the Republican side, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) previously told the Hill that “the FBI should do the background checks, in my judgment.”
“I do think there will be FBI background checks,” said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) told Politico.
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Last week, the Trump transition team announced it had entered into an agreement with the outgoing Biden administration to allow Trump’s transition team to begin coordinating with federal agencies, but at the time, the agreement did not stipulate FBI checks.
It was reported that instead, appointees would receive interim security clearance on the first day of Trump’s second administration. But with Tuesday’s new MOU agreement, background checks will happen.
