Donald Trump Could Sell America’s Secrets To Pay Off Debts After Presidency Ends, Intelligence Experts Warn
Intelligence experts have raised concerns about what Donald Trump could do with America’s secrets after he leaves the White House, with some warning that he could see a potential source of revenue in them.
As NBC News reported, a number of experts said that Trump could pose a danger due to the secrets he has already learned and warned that “it would be foolish to trust him with more sensitive information.” Many have expressed worry that the former real estate mogul could see the most sensitive intel as a potential source of revenue to boost a business empire that is reportedly facing major financial pressures. They have called for an end to the practice of allowing former presidents to receive briefings.
“He’s shown as president that he doesn’t take secret-keeping terribly seriously,” said Jack Goldsmith, a former senior Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration. “He has a known tendency to disrespect rules related to national security. And he has a known tendency to like to sell things that are valuable to him.”
As NBC News noted, Goldsmith and others say that Trump has already shown an unusual level of carelessness with classified intel. That includes a meeting with top Russian officials in 2017 in which he reportedly revealed “extremely sensitive terrorism threat information” that came from a United States ally. He later tweeted what was believed to be a secret satellite photo of a nuclear installation in Iran.
As The Inquisitr noted, he also took to Twitter earlier this year to share what appeared to be classified intel regarding plans to attack troops in Iraq.
“Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq,” he tweeted. “If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!”
Many former intelligence officials have spoken out against these disclosures, saying that he is putting America’s interests at risk. Trump has long been at odds with the intelligence community, often lashing out during the Russia investigation and claiming that they are working against him.
The risk could be especially high given reports that Trump will face significant financial pressure after leaving the White House. As The Inquisitr reported, Trump is reportedly planning to pursue a number of avenues to raise revenue and pay off a reported $400 million in debts that are coming due. Trump is said to be considering writing a book and holding a series of paid rallies. The report noted that Trump was seeking ways to earn money while doing relatively little work, which could put a higher value on the national secrets he has learned while in the White House.
