Representative Val Demings says Trump would sell intelligence briefing info to ‘highest bidder’

Florida Democratic Representative Val Demings said on Saturday she believed former President Donald Trump would sell U.S. intelligence briefings, if given the chance.

“I believe this former president, and I believe him with all my heart, would use intelligence as a bargaining chip or sell it to the highest bidder,” Demings said in an interview on MSNBC.

“We don’t trust our former president, nor do many of our allies around the world,” added Demings, who sits on the House justice, homeland security and intelligence committees.

Demings’ remarks come after President Joe Biden said it was “not necessary” for Trump to continue to receive intelligence briefings after he left office.

As a courtesy, former presidents are often given the opportunity to receive ongoing intelligence under the supervision of the new commander-in-chief.

But in a new interview with CBS News, Biden said Trump’s “erratic behavior” would be reason enough to prevent him from receiving the briefings.

“I just think it’s not necessary for him to have the intelligence briefings. What’s the value of giving him an intelligence briefing? What impact does he have at all, other than the fact that could he slip in and say something? ” said the president during the interview which will be broadcast on Sunday.

Demings said Trump proved to be an untrustworthy source during his tenure by “snuggling up” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We watched this president in action for four years. We saw him go on stage with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki and basically do everything but ask the Russian dictator for his autograph. We saw him on the phone with the Russian dictator and refuse to ask him questions about the bonuses put on the heads of American soldiers, ”she said.

“We saw him snuggle up to Kim Jong Un from North Korea,” she added. “There are no circumstances in which the former president should receive information. Not now or frankly, in the future.”

The only situation that would be the subject of an intelligence briefing, Deming added, would be if the government had information that could be used to protect the security of the former president.

Even then, that information would have to be “clearly and narrowly defined,” she said.

Demings’ remarks come days ahead of the scheduled date for Trump’s Senate impeachment hearing.

The former president was impeached by the House of Representatives for the second time last month for “incitement to insurgency” after a violent mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6.

“Donald Trump has been indicted and hopefully will be sentenced because of the role he played in inciting a riot on January 6,” Deming added on Saturday. “The question arose: ‘Should he receive intelligence briefings? “The answer is, based on the opinion of this member of the intelligence committee, ‘no’.”

Newsweek contacted Demings for further comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.