Breaking from The Post:
White House whistleblower says 25 security clearance denials were reversed during Trump administration
A White House whistleblower told lawmakers that more than two dozen denials for security clearances have been overturned during the Trump administration, calling Congress her “last hope” for addressing what she considers improper conduct that has left the nation’s secrets exposed.
Tricia Newbold, a longtime White House security adviser, told the House Oversight and Reform Committee that she and her colleagues issued “dozens” of denials for security clearance applications that were later approved despite their concerns about blackmail, foreign influence or other red flags, according to panel documents released Monday.
Newbold, an 18-year veteran of the security clearance process who has served under both Republican and Democratic presidents, said she warned her superiors that clearances “were not always adjudicated in the best interest of national security” — and was retaliated against for doing so.
Unsurprisingly, the committee is investigating security clearances issued for low-quality nepotism hires Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. John Bolton is also on the list. I’m not sure why — thought he was Bush the Lesser’s UN ambassador, who would presumably need clearance for that job, but maybe not?
Anyhoo, aside from green-lighting deeply indebted dilettantes who then went on to make moves that look suspiciously like shaping US foreign policy for personal gain, the Trump administration has also lowered standards all around, because that’s what they do, every day and in every scenario:
Newbold also raised concerns about new White House security clearance policies that she says put the nation at risk. For example, the White House security office no longer checks the credits of applicants, which she said keeps reviewers from knowing whether applicants could be susceptible to blackmail because of their debts.
The lady who makes you put your shoes in a plastic bucket at the airport? She had to have a credit check to get that job. Ditto the dude in the toll booth on the turnpike. It’s almost like these Trump assholes aren’t serious about national security.
Open thread.