Day 466: Report: Trump team does virtually no vetting for key positions

Part of running an effective and intelligent government means staffing offices in all corners of an administration with qualified candidates. For top jobs, especially those that require Senate confirmation, background checks and vetting should be pro forma. Under Donald Trump, however, that process has been undermined by Trmp’s propensity to jam through or publicly suggest nominees before due diligence has even begun, much less completed, according to a report by The Washington Post.

Trump’s operating principle is “ready, shoot, aim, as opposed to ready, aim, shoot,” said one White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment candidly,

A Republican strategist who works closely with the West Wing was even more blunt: “The Trump White House vetting machine is an oxymoron. There’s only one answer — Trump decides who he wants and tells people. That’s the vetting process.”

The result, as was the case with [since-withdrawn V.A. Secretary nominee Ronny] Jackson, is that many candidates who may not be considered qualified for their positions were thrust forward by the president before a thorough vetting of their professional and personal backgrounds could be completed — and without the necessary political support to help them weather challenges.

Undercutting Trump’s “drain the swamp” message is his willingness to tank qualified applicants who were previously critical of him in favor of those who may be less qualified (or totally unqualified) but have displayed blind loyalty or have a personal connection to him. Ethical considerations are thrown completely out the window.

In addition, the vetters consult department and agency officials to determine whether candidates are qualified. White House lawyers review possible conflicts of interest or other ethical and financial questions. Once the president signs off on a nomination or appointment, the FBI begins a background investigation that is used to determine a security clearance, and an IRS tax check and credit check are also conducted.

But lawyers involved in the process say Trump, or the White House, often announces picks before they are fully vetted — and they describe an irregular process that sometimes is not followed if a candidate has high-level approval. On the most senior nominees, anything goes.

“The president’s made it clear that ethics don’t matter and conflicts of interest don’t matter,” said Richard Painter, who was chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush. “He’s decided to ignore ethics rules and say, ‘I don’t have to.’ ”

During the transition, a number of Cabinet officials were announced with little more than a public-records search, according to current and former administration officials. “He would announce, and then we’d say, ‘You need to fill out some forms,’ ” one former official recalled.

Even top Republicans have been critical of Trump’s vetting — or lack thereof — of nominees, but his nomination of Jackson shows that he has no intention of stopping the farcical process.

466 days in, 996 to go

Follow us on Twitter at @TrumpTimer