Trump and Clinton Have Proven Themselves Uniquely Unqualified
Once the Democratic National Committee wraps up at the end of the week, Americans will face a gloomy reality. Not only are Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump their major party options, but they’ll be receiving security briefings.
Per The Hill, the two candidates will be getting classified intelligence information once Clinton’s nomination is official. At that point, they’ll start to obtain information about our nation’s security threats. Vice presidential picks Mike Pence and Tim Kaine will receive briefings as well.
Out of the four, Pence and Kaine are probably the only two that couldn’t do irreparable harm with such information. Donald and Hillary, on the other hand, could pose a direct threat to national security with those briefings. Neither should receive them.
Don’t Trust Donald
When it comes to private information, Trump may not be the best gatekeeper. Earlier in his primary campaign, he gave out South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham’s phone number at one of his rallies. This led to an amusing video of the senator destroying his cell-phone.
While such actions obviously didn’t affect national security, they are what defines Donald Trump. He has proven to be a candidate who will engage in childish tactics to satisfy personal vendettas.
One can only imagine how Trump would act on the campaign trail with sensitive information. It seems likely that he would incorporate the knowledge he’s receiving into his campaign pitch.
It doesn’t take much imagination to envision him saying, “I’ve seen these briefs, and believe me, people, we’re in trouble. Why, in Libya right now…” It certainly wouldn’t be beneath Trump to release information that he believes could damage Hillary.
Part of Trump’s “appeal” is his willingness to say things no one else will. However, there doesn’t seem to be any buffer between those things and things that people legitimately should not discuss.
For law-and-order-conservatives who want to preserve our national security, handing over state secrets to such an unhinged character should be revolting. Trump is well within his rights to engage in a theatrical campaign. That being said, the line must be drawn when it comes to our country’s safety.
“Crooked Hillary” is No Safe Bet Either
Clinton has a smoother style, for sure. That doesn’t make her any more qualified. Unlike Trump, Hillary has a proven record mishandling national security information. We can speculate about Trump, with good reason for concern. However, Trump wasn’t under FBI investigation for his “extremely careless” handling of sensitive national security intelligence.
Even though FBI director James Comey recommended no charges to the Justice Department, he delivered scathing remarks about how Clinton mishandled national security information. Not only was Clinton using a private server, but the server wasn’t even secure.
During her tenure as Secretary of State, Clinton failed to prove herself a good steward of the office. The culmination of her failures in office occurred in Benghazi, Libya. As many are familiar with, proper security was denied to the U.S. embassy attacked by Islamic extremists. Several U.S. servicemen were killed or injured.
While Clinton’s didn’t misuse national security information in such a brash or vindictive a way as we might expect from Trump, she showed grave incompetence and disregard. The callous indifference she demonstrated towards her actions disqualify her from making such decisions in the future.
Only Give Information to Those Who Deserve It
In a dream scenario, only those who have proven themselves competent would receive national security briefings. In the real world, however, the incompetent and dangerous usually find their way to the top. The unfortunate truth to consider is that Trump or Clinton will likely be the one taking the oath of office.
Someone likely to assume the presidency needs preparation to face the national securities threats that this nation must confront. That being said, Trump and Clinton should demonstrate changes in their conduct that prove their ability to handle such information.
Unfortunately, neither candidate is likely to make those adjustments. No matter who wins this election, American security will be the clear loser.
