Angus King warns of ‘grave danger’ of Trump revealing classified information

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) described the possibility of President Trump divulging classified information after leaving office as a “grave danger.”

King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, noted that intelligence briefings are typically given to former presidents as a courtesy rather than a legal requirement.

“There’s a grave danger of [Trump] inadvertently or willfully revealing classified information that would compromise sources and methods,” King told CNN’s John King on Sunday. “There’s no upside. There’s no reason he needs to have this information … and I think given his past history of being fast and loose with intelligence data, it ought to be ― that ought to be an easy decision for the incoming president.”

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) made similar comments Sunday, telling CBS’s Margaret Brennan, “There’s no circumstance in which this president should receive another intelligence briefing, not now, not in the future. I don’t think he can be trusted with it now.”

Former Trump administration Director of National Intelligence Susan Gordon has similarly called for an end to the president’s briefings after he leaves office.

“Convention left the premises a long time ago with President Trump, and his demonstrated approach to national security and intelligence suggest that a more purposeful decision must be made about providing intelligence to this soon-to-be former president,” Gordon wrote in a Friday Washington Post op-ed.

“My recommendation, as a 30-plus-year veteran of the intelligence community, is not to provide him any briefings after Jan. 20. With this simple act — which is solely the new president’s prerogative — Joe Biden can mitigate one aspect of the potential national security risk posed by Donald Trump, private citizen,” she added.