WASHINGTON – Some U.S. intelligence officials are concerned that
Donald Trump’s “shoot from the hip” style could pose national
security risks as they prepare to give him a routine pre-election briefing once
he is formally anointed as the Republican presidential nominee.

Eight senior security officials told Reuters they had concerns
over briefing Trump, whose brash, unpredictable campaign style has been a
feature of his rise as an insurgent candidate. Despite their worries, the
officials said the “Top Secret” briefing to each candidate would not
deviate from the usual format to avoid any appearance of bias.

Most of the officials asked for anonymity to discuss a domestic
political issue.

Current and former officials said that the scandal over Hillary
Clinton’s use of emails also raises concerns about her handling of sensitive
information. The likely Democratic nominee is facing an FBI probe into whether
security was compromised and laws were broken by her use of a private email
server for government business while she was Secretary of State.

“The only candidate who has proven incapable of handling
sensitive information is Hillary Clinton,” said Michael Short, a spokesman
for the Republican National Committee. “If there is anyone they should be
worried about it is Hillary Clinton.” 

But Trump’s lack of foreign policy experience, his volatile
style, and his little known team of foreign policy advisers make him a unique
case, the officials said.

“People are very nervous,” said one senior U.S.
security official.

Intelligence and other security and foreign policy officials are
also trying to determine “who on (Trump’s) team are trustworthy, the
official added. “We’ve never had a situation like this before. Ever.”

A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign did not respond to a request
for comment.

Other officials downplayed such worries, noting that the
traditional briefing, while classified as Top Secret, is mostly a broad
overview of national security issues and does not include the most sensitive
government secrets about intelligence sources and operations.

In the post-Second World War era, confirmed U.S. presidential
nominees have traditionally received the briefing from intelligence officials
— including spy agency chiefs — covering a broad range of national security
issues.

The nominees are usually briefed shortly after their party
nominating conventions, and are allowed to include one or two aides who must
undergo security checks. Current and former officials say the nominees are
explicitly warned not to share the contents of the briefing, which includes
detailed intelligence assessments.

After election day, presidents-elect receive the same
Presidential Daily Brief, or PDB, that the sitting president gets, complete
with material on the intelligence agencies’ sources, methods, and covert
operations.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence
Committee, said that he shared some of the concerns over how Trump, who has
never held public office, might use information from the briefing.

“I would be very concerned with Mr. Trump’s ability to know
what he can and can’t discuss” publicly about the contents of an
intelligence briefing, said Schiff, who has endorsed Clinton for president.

Schiff said one consequence of intelligence agencies’ worries
about Trump’s reputation as a loose cannon could be that briefers circumscribe
some of the information they provide to Trump and Hillary Clinton, his
prospective Democratic opponent.

Trump has tended to make broad-brush statements on foreign
issues rather than delve into policy nuances. He drew criticism from some
former national security officials last month when, without evidence, he
quickly tweeted that the downing of an EgyptAir flight appeared to be a
terrorist attack.

Clinton is honing in on national security as a key potential
weakness for Trump, and is set to deliver a foreign policy speech on Thursday
designed to portray the billionaire businessman as unfit for the White House.