The Oversight Committee works again

Under Republican control the past two years, it went into hibernation.  It has a lot of work to do.

On January 23, 2019, Chairman Cummings sent a letter to the White House requesting documents and interviews regarding significant failures in the security clearance process at the White House and the Transition Team. He requested interviews with every member of the White House Security Office, as well as documents “related to a security clearance or White House clearance granted to any White House employee or appointee for whom any White House Security Personnel Office personnel recommended an unfavorable adjudication decision” and documents relating to foreign contacts by Jared Kushner and a number of other White House officials.

  Committee on Oversight and Reform

Jared Kushner's application for a top secret clearance was rejected by two career White House security specialists after an FBI background check raised concerns about potential foreign influence on him — but their supervisor overruled the recommendation and approved the clearance, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.

The official, Carl Kline, is a former Pentagon employee who was installed as director of the personnel security office in the Executive Office of the President in May 2017. Kushner's was one of at least 30 cases in which Kline overruled career security experts and approved a top secret clearance for incoming Trump officials despite unfavorable information, the two sources said.

  NBC

Most corrupt administration ever.

They said the number of rejections that were overruled was unprecedented — it had happened only once in the three years preceding Kline's arrival.

[...]

After Kline overruled the White House security specialists and recommended Kushner for a top secret clearance, Kushner's file then went to the CIA for a ruling on SCI.

After reviewing the file, CIA officers who make clearance decisions balked, two of the people familiar with the matter said. One called over to the White House security division, wondering how Kushner got even a top secret clearance, the sources said.

[...]

The sources say the CIA has not granted Kushner clearance to review SCI material. That would mean Kushner lacks access to key intelligence unless President Trump decides to override the rules, which is the president's' prerogative.

If Trump ever looked at any intelligence or paid any attention to intelligence briefings, he would definitely give the information to Kushner. He may, however, simply give instructions to have it sent directly to Kushner.

Kushner's FBI background check identified questions about his family's business, his foreign contacts, his foreign travel and meetings he had during the campaign, the sources said, declining to be more specific.

[...]

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information, said the Trump White House attracted many people with untraditional backgrounds who had complicated financial and personal histories, some of which raised red flags.

[...]

The reasons for denying a clearance can include debts, a criminal past or questions about foreign entanglements. Anything in a person's background that could make them vulnerable to blackmail can be a factor.

[...]

The Washington Post, citing current and former U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports on the matter, reported last February that officials in at least four countries [United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico] had privately discussed ways they could manipulate Kushner by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience.

Most corrupt administration ever.






Somebody said Mueller's Grand Jury met today.

UPDATE 1/25:

Somebody was right:  Roger Stone indicted and arrested.