It’s a Washington ritual that over the years has tripped up big-shot nominees, intimidated small-fry job-seekers, and turned countless Beltway types into character witnesses for friends and co-workers. And now it may be on the verge of extinction. I’m talking, of course, about the official background check, the process that has subjected appointees to FBI examination since the Eisenhower years — but which the incoming Trump administration appears keen on ignoring when it comes to the...