It has been a painfully long 384 days since Donald Trump took office and the Washington Post reports there are still dozens of White House employees without permanent security clearance:
Dozens of White House employees are awaiting permanent security clearances and have been working for months with temporary approvals to handle sensitive information while the FBI continues to probe their backgrounds, according to U.S. officials.
People familiar with the security-clearance process said one of those White House officials with an interim approval is Jared Kushner — the president’s son-in-law and one of his most influential advisers.
WaPo spoke with one lawyer who noted it isn’t unusual for the process to take several months. But, a year? Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) wants answers from Rep. Trey Gowdy, chairman of the House Oversight Committee:
“Mr. Porter’s case is only the latest example of requests made by Democratic Members to conduct oversight of the security clearance process,” Cummings wrote. “You have also refused requests to obtain documents regarding the security clearances of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, his son Michael Flynn Jr., Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner, and others.”
Also, in an interview with The Hill, Christopher Lu, a former aide to President Obama, said that it would be highly unusual for someone to be working directly with the president, having access to and handling our nation’s most sensitive information for months on end, in some cases for more than a year, without being cleared first. Lu noted the FBI typically prioritizes these background checks, as they should, because of the round-the-clock access to the president and sensitive information. He’s also calling for Congress to investigate why Rob Porter was allowed to stay on staff despite the accusations and evidence he abused his two former wives. Most importantly, was Trump aware and did he personally waive the background check to get clearance for Porter? The discussion about White House security clearance for senior White House jobs begins at approximately the five-minute mark of this podcast.