Fwd: {UAH} SECURITY CLEARANCE COULD BECOME AN ISSUE FOR HILLARY CLINTON'S STAFF
|
4:54 PM |
No comments |
From: "Herrn Edward Mulindwa" <mulindwa@look.ca>
Date: Aug 29, 2016 6:39 PM
Subject: {UAH} SECURITY CLEARANCE COULD BECOME AN ISSUE FOR HILLARY CLINTON'S STAFF
To: <ugandans-at-heart@googlegroups.com>, <camnetwork@yahoogroups.com>
Cc:
--Security Clearance Could Become an Issue for Hillary Clinton's Staff
Use of private email server and questionable handling of classified material could cause headaches for top aides
ENLARGE
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) has asked Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, shown, to investigate whether Hillary Clinton's email arrangement should prohibit her and her top aides from having access to government secrets. PHOTO: MOLLY RILEY/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
By
DAMIAN PALETTA
WASHINGTON— Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server and her questionable handling of classified material could cause headaches for her top aides if she wins the presidential election, but as president she would likely retain discretion over who has access to classified information in her inner circle.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey told a House panel Thursday that the "careless" manner in which the Clinton team communicated over email would be the kind of behavior the FBI weighs when determining whether to hire somebody for a top-level national security position and grant such a person security clearance.
But Mr. Comey declined to say whether participation in the email setup should disqualify someone from receiving clearance
A number of Republicans this week said the email arrangement should prohibit Mrs. Clinton and her top aides from having access to government secrets, both during the campaign and potentially in the White House next year.
"It would send the wrong signal to all those charged with safeguarding our nation's secrets if you choose to provide her access to this information despite the FBI's findings," House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) wrote to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
But barring Mrs. Clinton from receiving access to classified information, particularly as she likely still has a security clearance, would be virtually impossible, several national security experts said. And if she is elected in November, she would likely have the ability to overrule recommendations from those who process background checks and ensure that top aides had access to classified information.
"If the president wants to give clearances to somebody, well guess what, they are the commander-in-chief," said Anthony Cordesman, former Pentagon director of intelligence assessment.
Mrs. Clinton's senior aides could face their first test within weeks when the intelligence community begins briefings for the presidential nominees.
Mr. Clapper is expected to invite Mrs. Clinton and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump to separate intelligence briefings after the Democratic and Republican conventions. The candidates are typically permitted to bring a few senior staff members with them, though the aides must have the appropriate government clearance in order to attend.
Clinton campaign spokesman Glen Caplin called the GOP move "another blatantly political stunt by Republicans to try and keep the issue alive after career [Justice Department] officials declared this case closed because they didn't get the outcome they wanted."
State Department spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the department reopened its internal review into whether Mrs. Clinton or her top aides mishandled classified information. The State Department had initially held off at the request of law enforcement officials.
Mr. Kirby declined to say what information the department was evaluating. "We will aim to be as expeditious as possible, but we will not put artificial deadlines on the process," he said.
Earlier this week, Mr. Kirby said the State Department's review and possible consequences could affect current and former employees. A former employee can't be disciplined if they no longer work at State Department, but the agency could add information about security violations to the person's file. The harshest punishment for a former official would be revoking security clearance, assuming he or she needed it for another agency or position, he said.
Mrs. Clinton has several top aides now who also worked closely with her at the State Department and emailed her on her private server, including national security advisorJake Sullivan and top aides Cheryl Mills and Huma Abedin. The current status of their security clearances is unknown, and the State Department does not comment on the status of former employees.
A number of Republican senators on Thursday, led by Marco Rubio of Florida, sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry asking him about the status of the security clearances held by Mrs. Clinton, Ms. Mills, Ms. Abedin, Mr. Sullivan and others. If they still have a clearance, Mr. Rubio and other lawmakers said they should be suspended.
The decision about whether any of Mrs. Clinton's aides could attend the intelligence briefings would likely be up to either the State Department or the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, several people familiar with the process said.
Mr. Comey's critique of the email arrangement could cause additional challenges for these aides if they are tapped to work in the White House next year, though those challenges would likely be surmountable.
The FBI plays a lead role in conducting the background investigations of senior White House personnel. If FBI officials believe people in senior White House positions were prone to mishandling sensitive information, they could recommend against security clearance. But Mrs. Clinton, as president, would have the discretion to overrule them.
Top White House aides, particularly the chief of staff or those in the National Security Council, are subject to an additional security review. The intelligence community conducts its own screening to determine whether someone should have access to what's known as "sensitive compartmented information," which can be intelligence secrets that even some with a top secret clearance can't access.
The intelligence community could recommend that certain White House aides not receive this clearance, but Mrs. Clinton would have the ability to overrule this recommendation, multiple people said.
"The question will become whether she will want to overturn the decision of the security professionals," said John Cohen, a Rutgers University professor who was the Department of Homeland Security's counterterrorism coordinator and went through the security- clearance process.
EM
On the 49th Parallel
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in anarchy"
Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni katika machafuko"
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment