WASHINGTON, DC (U.S. News & World Report) — President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team’s decision to bypass the traditional FBI background checks for some of its nominees is concerning some in the legal and national security communities.

Trump and his allies have argued the system, used for decades for all federal appointees, is laborious and prevents people from starting quickly. But it’s also consistent with Trump’s deep mistrust of the intelligence and national security sectors. He is reportedly planning to instead use private firms to assist in the vetting process.

However, analysts say the system is in place to prevent the emergence of disclosures that could embarrass the administration from coming to light during confirmation hearings. They warn that bucking the norm could be politically dangerous for the White House in the long run, especially with controversial candidates like Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida for attorney general, former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Fox News personality Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense. Those picks and others are sparking concerns over personal histories, past associations and possible ties to foreign governments.

Gaetz, the subject of a federal sex trafficking probe that concluded without charges against him, has long been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use that were reportedly the subject of a House Ethics Committee report. Gabbard has faced questions about past statements that were unusually supportive of Russia and a secret meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad in 2017 when she was a member of Congress and he stood accused by the U.S. of war crimes. And The Associated Press reported that Hegseth had been flagged as a possible “insider threat” by a fellow service member when he was with the National Guard due to a tattoo associated with white supremacist groups.