Several U.S. senators are asking federal security officials to review the Trump Administration’s compliance with security clearance policies and procedures.
This request comes following reports that President Donald Trump ignored objections from White House Counsel Donald McGahn and Chief of Staff John Kelly to grant security clearances to his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner.
“We write to request that you review compliance by the Executive Office of the President (EOP) with policies and procedures governing security clearances and access to secure compartmented information (SCI),” the senators wrote to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community. “We also request that you review the adequacy of policies and procedures to ensure that mitigation measures are implemented when eligibility to access to classified information is granted despite potential security risks. We believe that you have the authority and expertise to conduct this review, including in your role as Security Executive Agent under Executive Order 13467.”
The letter was sent by U.S. Sens Jack Reed (D-RI), Mark Warner (D-VA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ).
“Public reporting over the last two years has raised serious concerns of alleged irregularities and questionable decisions related to eligibility determinations for EOP personnel access to classified information. These allegations include abuse in granting interim clearances, to include for access to SCI; revoking a former senior intelligence official’s eligibility for access to classified information seemingly for reasons of political retribution; overruling unfavorable adjudications made by career security professionals in some 30 cases; and the President’s decision himself to grant his daughter and son-in-law clearances despite the documented concerns from the White House Counsel and Chief of Staff,” the senators added.