There’s a new report out this morning that claims Trump ordered his senior White House staff to sign non-disclosure agreements shortly after he was elected:
DAILY MAIL – President Trump ordered his White House staff to sign non-disclosure agreements that last beyond his presidency, a report claims.
The American leader is said to have asked his senior employees to sign the document shortly after he was elected, according to a Washington Post newspaper column.
His early months as President were marred by several leaks.
It is claimed some employees did not want to sign the agreement, which stipulates that they will not reveal confidential information.
But Reince Priebus, the former chief of staff and White House counsel, is said to have pressured them to comply.
Officials are said to have eventually given in, partly because they thought the agreements would not be enforceable.
A source who did agree told The Washington Post: ‘I remember the President saying, ‘Has everybody signed a confidentiality agreement like they did during the campaign or we had at Trump Tower?’
The agreement is said to ban ‘the publication of works of fiction that contain any mention of the operations of the White House, federal agencies, foreign governments, or other entities interacting with the United States Government that is based on confidential information.’
A draft copy of the agreement says those who violate it must pay the U.S. Treasury a $10million penalty for every violation, according to the newspaper.
Legal experts have questioned whether such an agreement is legal for a high-ranking government employee given constitutional free-speech protections.
I’m certainly not a lawyer but it seems to me that an agreement like this would be at odds with a government job in public service. I’m not sure how enforceable something like this would be.
Also, considering all the leaks that out of the administration in the first several months, I’m not sure these NDAs actually worked.