House Republicans move to strip security clearances from any official who said in 2020 that the release of Hunter Biden's emails had 'classic earmarks of a Russian information operation'

Business Insider ^ | Jun 22, 2023 | Brent D. Griffiths

[Robwin]

House Republicans are moving to effectively strip security clearances from any intelligence or defense official who signed on to an October 2020 statement that raised the question of whether the release of Hunter Biden's emails was part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

As part of a much-larger bill funding US defense, Republicans on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense proposed prohibiting any funding to grant, renew, or maintain a security clearance for any official who signed the statement.

More than 50 former intelligence officials, including former CIA Directors Mike Hayden, Leon Panetta, and John Brennan, signed the letter raising questions about the then newly published New York Post story concerning emails from Biden's laptop. Politico reported at the time that the letter was provided to the publication by Nick Shapiro, a former top aide under Brennan.

[Flavious_Maximus]

“Anyone who signed that letter should be cut ...”

with a very sharp guillotine.

[tennmountainman]

Yep.

[SandwicheGuy]

What you said.

[Brian Griffin]

People have an Amendment I right to utter BS.

Joe Biden has a right to utter nonsense.

AOC has a right to utter nonsense.

Elizabeth Warren has a right to utter nonsense.

Professor Marxist has a right to teach nonsense if his employer thinks he ought to.

Al Gore has a right to claim polar bears are doomed unless the US spends $40 trillion on Chinese green technology.

[Brian Griffin]

“I don’t understand WHY anyone not in an administration any longer still has security clearances.”

I think people retain the clearance but lose any need to know once they become unemployed. A clearance might readily be reactivated for a few years after leaving a clearance-based job. I would probably have to undergo a new background check to get back the clearances I had 37 years ago.

If someone switches jobs, the new employer has to get the clearance reactivated I believe.

As I understand things, Trump would have had to request the Biden administration the reactivate his clearance. I don’t think Trump can see his still classified archive materials since Biden I understand didn’t reactivate Trump’s clearance after Trump left office.

[Brian Griffin]

And the “classic earmarks” are?

[Brian Griffin]

In my day the SCI endorsement was the ticket to have.

A TS clearance just wasn’t enough for many jobs.

[Reno89519]

Any government official, elected or otherwise, any government work should have their clearances suspended or put INACTIVE when they leave their positions. They can be activitated if and when they get a new job requiring it.

[Reily]

Yes, it’s still pretty much the case.

[qaz123]

Why do they still have them?

[coloradan]

Not only their clearances, but also their pensions and their freedoms should be stripped.

[coloradan]

The elements of fraud are: a statement that is false, they know it is false, and they obtain a direct benefit from others
believing it to be true.

You might have a right to spew BS, but you don’t have a right to commit fraud.

[Jumper]

Obama is one responsible for questionable actions stripping former presidents of secret service and other perks from the office. Never was there a president who lost his legal right to his classified information. Biden cannot take from Trump or allow Obama to retain a clearance. The clearance is not Biden’s to give. Congress is where any legal decision can be made to revoke a former president. To revoke a former president of a security clearance is in effect a prison sentence or a death sentence.

[aimhigh]

Security clearances should have a four year (or less) expiration date once an individual leaves government service.

[ro_dreaming]

Just because you have a clearance doesn’t mean you get to see classified material. You also have to have a ‘need to know’ the material in question.

I had a security clearance (TS/SSBI) when I was in the Navy as a Cryptologic Technician. I retained that clearance for 5 years, even after I got out of the Navy. However, I no longer had a need to know about any of it. If I got a civilian job, or reentered the navy, it would have been easier with a clearance already in place to reinvestigate and update than to start from scratch.

[SunkenCiv]

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• Whistleblower Reveals Text Message That Implicates Joe Biden: "I am sitting here with my father, I will make certain...that you will regret not following my direction" [06/22/2023]
• IRS whistleblower says search warrants, charges for Hunter Biden blocked, Joe met Chinese client [06/22/2023]

  ---

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[GOPJ]

Great idea - should have been done years ago.