Just a reminder to all that Senators and Congressman DO NOT HAVE OR NEED SECURITY CLEARANCE.
It has only been in the last couple of years that they have agreed to take sworn "secrecy oaths" for access to classified material.
But that is not clearance. They don't "need" clearance.
In contrast, some Congressional staffers - because they are not elected officials - DO usually obtain clearance.
It's all about the separation of powers.
But when you hear about classified information leaks to the Slimes and ComPost, remember this fact. Staffers can be prosecuted, Senators and Representatives have ZERO legal exposure.
That's not accurate. Elected representatives and senators have the same exposure under laws like the Espionage Act, or hte Intelligence Identification Act and countless others, as their staffers do. The classification of information and the dissemination of that classified information is a responsibility that lies solely with the Executive branch.
Just like judge on the FISA court could be prosecuted for violating intelligence protection laws, so could all elected officials in the legislative branch if they did likewise.