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BREAKING: White House whistleblower reveals 25 officials denied security clearance had decision overturned under Trump.
Reasons for initial denials include foreign influence, drugs and criminality. Two are now senior staff.
Key claims from Tricia Newbold below. Explosive stuff.
Reasons for initial denials include foreign influence, drugs and criminality. Two are now senior staff.
Key claims from Tricia Newbold below. Explosive stuff.
Newbold has spent 18 years working in the executive office of the president, serving both Republican and Dem administrations.
She is still working at White House, in position of Adjudications Manager in the Personnel Security Office.
She is still working at White House, in position of Adjudications Manager in the Personnel Security Office.
Newbold: "I would not be doing a service to myself, my country, or my children if I sat back knowing that the issues that we have could impact national security."
Newbold: "[If] the President wants to override us, he can, but that doesn’t mean at any time that we should alter the way we do business based on what someone may have come out with in the end."
Newbold spells out 3 anonymised examples.
CASE 1: Senior WH official. Security clearance denied after 'significant disqualifying factors' found inc foreign influence, biz links +personal conduct.
Decision overruled by senior colleague who (she says) didn't address all concerns.
CASE 1: Senior WH official. Security clearance denied after 'significant disqualifying factors' found inc foreign influence, biz links +personal conduct.
Decision overruled by senior colleague who (she says) didn't address all concerns.
CASE 2: Senior WH official. Newbold planned to reject, citing 14pg summary of 'multiple disqualifiers' inc foreign influence + biz links complied by a colleague.
She was allegedly told 'do not touch' the case by a senior colleague. "Soon thereafter" the clearance was approved.
She was allegedly told 'do not touch' the case by a senior colleague. "Soon thereafter" the clearance was approved.
CASE 3: 'High profile' official at WH's National Security Council. Clearance rejected by Newbold (reason not given).
She was then allegedly called into a senior colleague's office + told to change recommendation. She refused. Denial eventually upheld. Official no longer at WH.
She was then allegedly called into a senior colleague's office + told to change recommendation. She refused. Denial eventually upheld. Official no longer at WH.
She also raises wider concerns about changes to the clearance process during Trump presidency.
Automatic credit checks have allegedly been ditched. (FBI inquiries include credit check but not for those joining from other gov departments.)
Automatic credit checks have allegedly been ditched. (FBI inquiries include credit check but not for those joining from other gov departments.)
Interim clearances - access to classified info while awaiting full OK - also increasingly used.
Newbold “expressed concern about the amount + sensitivity of classified information that was provided to officials who operated for extended periods of time with interim clearances”.
Newbold “expressed concern about the amount + sensitivity of classified information that was provided to officials who operated for extended periods of time with interim clearances”.
Last tweet - in January Newbold was suspended without pay for 14 days for not following new policies.
The specific policy cited was scanning documents in separate pdfs rather than a single pdf when sending to other agencies.
It was her first disciplinary action in 18 years.
The specific policy cited was scanning documents in separate pdfs rather than a single pdf when sending to other agencies.
It was her first disciplinary action in 18 years.
Full write-up over here: telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/0…
