Raskin asks Trump team to give 'clear assurance' nominees will undergo FBI background checks

Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin on Friday asked President-elect Donald Trump's team to clarify whether the former president's new nominees will undergo FBI background checks.

The incoming Trump administration signed an agreement with the Justice Department earlier this month that allowed the transition team to “submit names for background checks and security clearances," as part of its preparations to take over the White House. But there has been speculation that the administration could use third-party security teams or other avenues to have their nominees vetted.

Raskin requested "clear assurance" from Trump transition co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon in a letter Friday that the administration will at least include an FBI background check in its vetting, since some nominees could be susceptible to coercion.

"While I understand the Trump-Vance Transition has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice that makes it possible for the FBI to conduct background checks, it remains unclear whether the Transition will require nominees to submit to them," Raskin wrote in the letter. “Given this muddled record, I urge you to clearly and unequivocally commit to requiring that all nominees undergo FBI background checks and submit to vetting before receiving access to classified information."

Raskin also asked the transition team to hand over documents related to any agreements it has with private companies to conduct background checks or vet transition officials and members of the new administration to the committee no later than Dec. 20.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.