Who was the presidient of the us in charge vetting

1. What “in charge” usually means: the president sets priorities, transition teams do the work

Presidents select nominees and set broad vetting priorities, but the operational responsibility for recruiting and vetting appointees is handled by the Office of Presidential Personnel and the president’s transition team; private counsel and law firms often advise prospective appointees on the process ^{[2] [1] [4]}.

2. Who actually runs vetting during a transition

Transition teams and the White House Office of Presidential Personnel coordinate background reviews, questionnaires, SF‑86 clearances, financial and ethics forms and interviews; they also arrange for agency or FBI background checks where appropriate ^{[2] [5] [3]}.

3. The FBI, OGE and other bodies: supporting actors, not “the president”

Investigative components — notably FBI background investigations — provide records and character/conduct information to the transition or White House counsel, but the FBI says it does not adjudicate or render an opinion; rather, its reports are used by the president‑elect’s team “as deemed appropriate” ^{[6] [3]}. The Office of Government Ethics aids conflict‑of‑interest screening and transition continuity ^[3].

4. Recent practice: how the 2024–25 transition was described in legal and press advisories

Advisories for prospective Trump appointees (published by Arnold & Porter and Covington & Burling) make clear the incoming Trump transition team would vet candidates and that administrations differ in how rigorously or flexibly they apply disqualifying thresholds — a point made in guidance for the 2024 transition ^{[1] [4]}. Those advisories caution nominees to expect intrusive background, tax and disclosure scrutiny ^{[4] [3]}.

5. Political variations and shortcuts: what “in charge” can imply politically

Some reporting noted the Trump transition in 2024 considered bypassing standard FBI checks for some cabinet picks and might use private vetting contractors — an approach that changes who exercises day‑to‑day vetting control and drew scrutiny (BBC flagged that the transition team was reported to be “bypassing FBI background checks for some cabinet picks” and considering private firms) ^[6].

6. Noteworthy concrete examples and who led them

When selection tasks fall to specific officials, private practice and government advisers may run searches — for example, press reporting about the 2025 Fed chair hunt described Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as “leading the vetting” and conducting interviews for that particular appointment on behalf of the White House ^[7]. That illustrates: the president delegates vetting authority to officials or teams for specific roles ^[7].

7. Common misunderstandings: the president is not a personnel office

Public statements sometimes imply the president personally “vetted” individual immigrants or nominees. But institutional vetting is a multistep administrative process involving forms (SF‑86), ethics reviews, background investigations and Senate confirmation where required — carried out by offices and agencies rather than the president alone ^{[5] [3] [2]}.

8. Limitations of available reporting and open questions

Available sources describe institutional processes and recent transition practices but do not provide a definitive single answer to “who was the president … in charge vetting” because the phrase conflates political leadership with operational responsibility. If you mean a specific appointment, role, or time period (for example, the 2024–25 transition, the Fed search, or immigrant vetting), tell me which and I will extract the named official cited in reporting ^{[1] [7] [6]}.

Sources cited: Arnold & Porter advisory on Trump appointees ^[1]; Center for Presidential Transition and related guides ^{[2] [5]}; Covington & Burling primer ^[4]; Alston & MWE advisory on vetting and FBI role ^[3]; BBC reporting on transition vetting choices ^[6]; reporting on Fed chair vetting led by Scott Bessent ^[7].