ANDREW CARD

The White House chief of staff is at the fulcrum of the federal government as gatekeeper to the most powerful leader on Earth.

Media outlets that often spend hours each day exploring the country's differences paused to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by recalling almost wistfully the sense of common purpose that united Americans in the aftermath.

Four Secret Service agents who were with the president, vice president and first lady during the 9/11 terror attacks describe what that day was like.

Apple+ and the BBC are collaborating on a new documentary that tells the story of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks through the eyes of then-President George W.

This is an attack on our democracy," Card, who served under Republican former President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006, said in a CNBC interview. The Capitol Hill riots erupted Wednesday afternoon after supporters of Trump descended on Washington to protest the election results — a gathering which Trump encouraged and ultimately spoke at. "The people that invented democracy, Aristotle and Plato, said the greatest threat ... to democracy is mob rule. Right now, the mob is trying to disrupt our democracy," Card said. Bush, who served two terms from 2001 to 2009, reportedly did not support the reelection of his fellow Republican Trump.

President-elect Joe Biden is eyeing several Democrats who lost congressional reelection races last month for key positions in his administration. President-elect Joe Biden is eyeing several Democrats who lost congressional reelection races last month for key positions in his administration. Their consideration continues a long Washington tradition of defeated politicians seeking shelter in a new White House. A decade later, he headlined a rally for her winning congressional campaign. “More than helping the president, these people can help the White House staff dealing with members of Congress,” said Card.

As he contests this year's election results, Trump has not authorized President-elect Joe Biden to lay eyes on the brief. National security and intelligence experts hope Trump changes his mind, citing the need for an incoming president to be fully prepared to confront any national security issues on Day One. That's the type of information that might be in the PDB, a daily summary of high-level, classified information and analysis on national security issues that's been offered to presidents since 1946. It is coordinated and delivered by the Office of the National Intelligence Director with input from the CIA and other agencies. Biden is missing out on all counts: More than a week into his transition, Biden doesn't have access to the PDB, the agencies or government resources to help him get ready to take charge.

The Senate Republicans advocated for Biden to receive the classified national security information even as they refused to acknowledge that the Democrat has won the presidential election, citing Trump's baseless claims of fraudulent votes. “At this point at least, I think he should absolutely be getting intelligence briefings," Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said of Biden. While only a handful of Republicans have called Biden the president-elect, most were comfortable Thursday challenging the Trump administration on withholding intelligence information, which could constitute a national security risk when Biden assumes office. Intelligence agencies have given generalized intelligence briefings — minus information on covert operations and sources and methods — for presidential nominees since 1952. Biden, a former vice president, has decades of experience in foreign affairs and national security.

“The Biden team is the most experienced, most prepared, most focused transition team ever, commensurate with the challenges that Biden will face” Jan. 20, said David Marchick, director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service. Ted Kaufman, who briefly was appointed senator after Biden became vice president in 2008, is directing the transition. Also heavily involved in transition are the top architects of Biden’s presidential campaign, including senior advisor Anita Dunn. That could open the door for some former Republican officeholders who endorsed Biden’s campaign to be tapped for key slots. Before Biden can get that far, though, there are bigger questions about the overall tone of the transition.

– Joe Biden's transition team isn't waiting for a verdict in the presidential race before getting to work. He also worked on Barack Obama’s transition team in 2008, and helped write legislation formalizing the presidential transition process. Clay Johnson, who headed Bush's transition team, said Biden’s advisers “can’t wait to be sure that the president-elect really is the president-elect. “And they should have started doing that last Tuesday night.”Biden's campaign has refused to comment on the transition process. The transition process formally starts once the General Service Administration determines the winner based on all available facts.

Andrew Card, who served as George W. Bush's White House chief of staff, told CNBC on Tuesday that if he were advising President Donald Trump about the Democrats' impeachment inquiry, he would tell the president to stay out of it. "I don't think that he should be meddling in that process." In September, House Democrats announced an impeachment inquiry into whether Trump abused power by pressuring Ukraine to open an investigation into political rival Joe Biden. Last week, former President Bill Clinton, who was impeached by the House and acquitted in the Senate in the late 1990s, gave Trump similar advice. Clinton also said, "I would say, 'I've got lawyers and staff people handling this impeachment inquiry and they should just have at it.