According to a report from the New York Times, intelligence officials sometimes hid information from Donald Trump because they were afraid of the damage he would do.
Douglas London, who was a top CIA counterterrorism official during the Trump administration, told the Times that intelligence aides were cautious about sharing intel with the former president.
He said that they took into account what damage could be done if he blurts out.
Trump has given classified information to the public many times.
He was briefed in August of last year about an explosion at an Iranian space facility and he wanted to post a satellite image on his personal account. The aides argued that the move might give insight into the US's surveillance capabilities. He uploaded it to his account.
At the time, Trump said he had the right to release the picture.
The release of the image was consistent with his disdain for foreign policy and intelligence expertise, according to a former CIA officer.
He doesn't need to follow rules, regulations, or even laws if he sees an immediate benefit.
The relationship between Trump and his intelligence officials has been problematic.
According to Insider, Trump didn't like to read through the intelligence reports and often ignored anything he disagreed with. He didn't pay much attention to the topic during intelligence briefings.
A former intelligence officer wrote in a book that it was difficult to work with Trump, who replaced long-time intelligence aides with loyalists.
According to a book published by the CIA, the Trump transition was the most difficult in the history of intelligence briefings.
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