{UAH} Report: More than 130 White House appointees lacked permanent security clearances

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JESSICA ESTEPA  |  USA TODAY

Updated 11:09 a.m. EST Feb. 15, 2018

Many staffers with temporary security clearances in Trump White House

Former White House staff secretary Rob Porter wasn't the only one holding an interim security clearance, a new report has tallied over 100 staffers. Nathan Rousseau Smith reports.

BUZZ60

More than 130 political appointees hadn't secured permanent clearances as of November 2017, including members of President Trump's family and close advisers, according to a new report.

The breakdown, per documents obtained by NBC News: At least 85 political appointees in the White House, vice president's office and National Security Council were working without permanent clearances. And about 50 were working for offices tied to the West Wing, including the National Economic Council and the Office of Management and Budget.

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump arrive for the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 30, 2018.  

NICHOLAS KAMM, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The topic of security clearances has caught fire since revelations last week that Rob Porter, the former White House press secretary, hadn't been able to obtain a permanent clearance. Porter faces allegations of spousal abuse from both of his ex-wives, information that was provided to the FBI during his routine background check.

By the time Porter resigned last week, he still hadn't obtained a permanent clearance.

More: FBI and White House have conflicting timelines on Rob Porter background check

NBC News reported that of those appointees, 47 reported directly to President Trump, including his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Others who hadn't received clearances as of November include Dan Scavino, the president's social media director, and Christopher Liddell, assistant to the president for strategic initiatives.

NBC reported that 34 people who had started their government service on the first day of Trump's presidency hadn't received permanent clearance by November.

White House counsel Don McGahn, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah had obtained permanent clearances for top-secret materials, but each only had interim clearances for the most sensitive government information.

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