I am going to tell a story that is funny regarding security clearances and it does ask the question: How did this guy get a Secret Clearance and How The Hell did the Bamster ever even get into office himself.
I was a YN2 assigned to the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence for CINCPACFLT Pearl Harbor. When I arrived, my Top Secret (SpeCat) clearance had not been approved yet as they take a very long time. Secret is easier though and I can see how an inept process could give this guy his.
Anyway... I am 7 months pregnant and been working in the office in an interim assignment at Secret level which I had already received when I finally get my final FBI interview.
As I sit there with this very very serious man, he grills me for over an hour and he knew EVERYTHING about me. When his last question threw me for a major loop. He asked me if I was ever affiliated with communist or antisemitic groups and he looked intensely at me for an answer. I, of course, said no, never. I am very patriotic and from long line of military and bleed Red, White and Blue so I was puzzled.
He leans forward and without cracking a smile says “what about the Penis and Swastika on the apartment window”? For a second, I was totally puzzled ... and then it hit me. His investigation was so thorough that he had uncovered the most ridiculous prank my younger brother and cousin had played on me at my apartment for everyone to see.
While working at the NAS Pt. Mugu Air Show (Go Blue Angels), I returned to find a penis and swastika painted on my apartment windows with Christmas snow. They were not Nazi’s but high schoolers who were into Heavy Metal bands and Harley’s and they identified with the often used symbol not meaning anything as they were too dumb to even associate it with Nazi’s. The penis was just for shock. I immediately screamed at them to wash it off. Little did I know, my new neighbor was Jewish and although I never learned of that as I transferred to HI the next week, apparently they told the FBI. True story and it did hold up my clearance for a year. So, how did a Red Doper Diaper Baby with more Communist ties than Vladimir Putin get his clearance???????? Even worst... how about all those radical Muslims he hung out with (or should I say HANGS OUT WITH)????
I didn't need a clearance on the ship. I did see some Secret Comms once because Main Comm on the ship accidentally put them into the messages I was picking up for the Engineering Log Room. I saw them and handed them back LOL.
Weird thing was I worked in the AC&R Shop that means Air Conditioning & Refrigeration so when Main Comm got too hot I had to go find out what the problem was. When I'd go into their spaces they'd have everything put away. The only spaces off limits for us was the Magazines and our Chief had to handle that one. We had Nukes back then and MARDET didn't take kindly to unauthorized visits LOL. I did get to go into them though during overhaul. I was TAD to the Fire Department and all spaces were open to us for walk through fire hazard inspections.
I joined the Army NG a few years later after I got out of the Navy and was an Ammo hauler in a Howitzer Battery. That meant I was supposed to get Secret Clearance because of training for nuclear weapons handling and assembly. I was just in a year so as far as I know they never cleared me. I guess my biggest breech was keeping an old Plan Of The Day from the ship LOL.