US President Joe Biden on Friday (local time) said that he does not believe that former President Donald Trump should receive classified intelligence briefings, as is the tradition for past presidents, citing his 'erratic behaviour unrelated to the insurrection'.
CNN reported that during an interview, when asked if Trump should receive an intelligence briefing if he requested one, Biden said, "I think not."
"I'd rather not speculate out loud... I just think that there is no need for him to have the -- the intelligence briefings. What value is giving him an intelligence briefing? What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?" the President added.
Traditionally, former presidents have been allowed to request and receive the same intelligence briefings that their successors do.
A senior administration official previously told CNN that Trump has not submitted any requests at this point.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told CNN on Thursday that "the intelligence community supports requests for intelligence briefings by former presidents and will review any incoming requests, as they always have."
In remarks following the January insurrection, Biden told reporters, "I've been saying for now, well, over a year, (Trump's) not fit to serve. He's one of the most incompetent presidents in the history of the United States of America."
Trump's second impeachment trial is set to begin next week. The House of Representatives last month impeached the former president for inciting violence against the government over his role in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, which also claimed the life of a police officer.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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