The New York Times, relying on three sources close to the matter, reported Sunday that a memo now circulating among Republican Donald Trump’s advisers recommends that if he’s elected next week, he bypass official background checks and grant security clearances to a wide swath of his appointees. Alternatively, the proposal suggests Trump do an end around the FBI and hire private investigative firms to conduct background inquiries. The people behind this idea, according to the Times, include Boris Epshteyn, a trusted legal adviser. It’s not clear whether Trump has seen the reported proposal, but if it’s authentic, then its mere existence should worry Americans, even as it excites our foreign adversaries.

Our national security guardrails could vaporize if Trump wins. It’s unlikely that he would have any officials in his administration capable of telling him no. In addition to that, his advisers, some of whom would have difficulty obtaining security clearances from the government, are reportedly hatching a plot that would let Trump grant security clearances to people who may not be qualified to hold them.