Free Republic

A career official in the White House security office says dozens of people in President Donald Trump’s administration were granted security clearances despite “disqualifying issues” in their backgrounds, such as concerns about foreign influence, drug use and criminal conduct. Tricia Newbold, an 18-year government employee who oversees the issuance of clearances for some senior White House aides, says she compiled a list of at least 25 officials who were initially denied security clearances last year because of their backgrounds. But she says senior Trump aides overturned those decisions, moves that she said weren’t made “in the best interest of national...

House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, Democrat of Maryland, will be sending a letter to the White House Monday saying the committee has interviewed a whistleblower about concerns with the security clearance process at the White House and that it will begin authorizing subpoenas beginning at the Oversight Committee's business meeting on Tuesday. Read Cummings' letter here: ...The letter says the committee conducted a "detailed, on-the-record interview" with whistleblower Tricia Newbold, an adjudications manager in the Personnel Security Office. She has worked as a career employee for the Executive Office of the President for 18 years under Democratic and Republican...