Biden to receive top-secret US intelligence briefing for first time today
President-elect gains access to highly classified material in preparation for becoming commander-in-chief
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Joe Biden will receive his first classified presidential daily briefing (PDB) on Monday, the president-elect’s office has said.
In a short statement released on Sunday, Mr Biden’s office said that following the briefing he would meet with advisers.
The PDB, which a US president usually receives each morning, includes highly classified intelligence analysis and information about pressing national security matters from across the globe.
A president-elect would normally expect to receive the PDB as soon as the election was over, but Donald Trump’s attempts to cast doubts on Mr Biden’s election victory have contributed to delays in the usual transition process.
Until last week, Mr Biden was largely shut out of access to federal resources and funds usually handed to transition teams, but much of that changed when the General Services Administration (GSA) announced last Monday it had recognised Mr Biden as the apparent winner of November’s election.
Shortly after GSA chief Emily Murphy said she had come to her decision independently, Mr Trump tweeted to say he was “recommending” Ms Murphy cooperate on the transition, despite continuing to falsely claim he had won the election.
While Mr Biden will now get regular intelligence updates, Mr Trump reportedly ditched his briefings from a career analyst long before the election and instead opted to receive updates from political appointees.
In doing so, Mr Trump became the first president since Ronald Reagan not to regularly hear from his designated intelligence briefer.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments