Whistleblower says Ivanka, Jared got security clearance over experts' advice

By Ginger Gibson and Mark Hosenball

 

FILE PHOTO: White House advisers Jared Kushner looks on during the Middle East summit in Warsaw, Poland, February 14, 2019. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A White House whistleblower has said the Trump administration overruled security experts to give questionable security clearances to more than two dozen people, including the president's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

 

Tricia Newbold, a White House security adviser, told Democrats in Congress that clearances were initially denied to dozens of administration officials because of concerns over possible foreign influence, conflicts of interests, questionable or criminal conduct, financial problems or drug abuse.

 

She said President Donald Trump's former White House personnel security director, Carl Kline, personally overruled the career officials' judgements in the cases of two senior officials.

 

Newbold's allegations were laid out in a letter sent to the White House on Monday and released by Elijah Cummings, chairman of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee.

 

"I would not be doing a service to myself, my country, or my children if I sat back knowing that the issues that we have could impact national security,” his letter quoted Newbold as telling his committee. "I feel that right now this is my last hope to really bring the integrity back into our office."

 

Cummings said he plans to subpoena Kline and warned that more subpoenas would be issued if the White House does not provide requested documents.

 

In his letter to the White House, Cummings referred to three unnamed "senior White House officials" whose security clearance cases are addressed in some detail by Newbold.

 

Two sources familiar with the information obtained by the Oversight Committee said two of those three senior officials are Ivanka Trump and Kushner, her husband.

 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Abbe Lowell, an attorney who represents Kushner and Ivanka Trump, had no comment.

 

Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House committee, issued a statement calling the letter a "partisan attack" that was "an excuse to go fishing through the personal files of dedicated public servants."

 

Cummings said Newbold, a manager in the White House personnel security office, said she was targeted for retaliation after declining to approve applications based on national security protocols.

 

"I'm terrified of going back. I know that this will not be perceived in favour of my intentions, which is to bring back the integrity of the office," she is quoted as saying in the letter Cummings sent to White House Counsel Pat Cipollone.

 

Separately, the House Judiciary Committee said on Monday that it will this week issue subpoenas to obtain Special Counsel Robert Muller's full report on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

 

Attorney General William Barr issued a summary of Mueller's findings to Congress on March 24, saying the special counsel did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired with Russia.

 

Mueller left unresolved the question of whether Trump obstructed justice during the probe, and Barr concluded the evidence was insufficient to charge the president.

 

Barr has said he will issue a redacted copy of Mueller's full report by mid-April, but Democrats want it without redactions and have demanded it be given to them this week.

 

The new round of subpoenas signals increased pressure from Democrats on the Republican Trump White House.

 

The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the letters. The Department of Justice declined to comment about the request from the Judiciary Committee.

 

'SIGNIFICANT DISQUALIFYING FACTORS'

Cummings' memo on White House security clearances said career officials, including Newbold, initially rejected the application from "Senior White House official 1" after a background investigation revealed "significant disqualifying factors," including "foreign influence" and "personal conduct."

 

The memo said Kline overruled the career officials' judgements, saying the activities that concerned security officials "occurred prior to federal service."

 

It also said Newbold told congressional investigators that a second person, referred to as "senior White House Official 2" was the subject of a 14-page memo laying out "multiple disqualifiers" including foreign influence and outside activities. Kline also approved a clearance for that unnamed official.

 

Newbold told congressional investigators that in a third case she was pressured by Kline to reverse a recommendation that the clearance application be rejected.

 

Newbold refused, and the third official ultimately left the White House, the Democrats' memo said.

 

(Reporting by Ginger Gibson, Mark Hosenball and David Morgan; Editing by Bill Trott and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-04-02

"Cummings' memo on White House security clearances said career officials, including Newbold, initially rejected the application from "Senior White House official 1" after a background investigation revealed "significant disqualifying factors," including "foreign influence" and "personal conduct.""

 

"The memo said Kline overruled the career officials' judgements, saying the activities that concerned security officials "occurred prior to federal service.""

 

So it's ok for people to act anyway they want prior to government service, they just need to promise to be good after entering government service to qualify for a security clearance.  I can see why Trump and cronies approve of this approach.

 

Will future security clearance investigation only cover periods after entering government service?  "Sure, I swore allegiance to radical revolutionary groups dedicated to the violent overthrow of the US government, but that was weeks ago, before I got a government job."

 

Can't wait for the names to come out. The leading republican is already issuing memos on the integrity of the whistleblower.

 

This house of cards needs to fall faster.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

A White House whistleblower has said the Trump administration overruled security experts to give questionable security clearances to more than two dozen people, including the president's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

 

What problems of conflicts of interests could arise with Jared Kushner?

 

If you don't already know, Jared had bought a building in New York City at 666 Fifth Ave.  It turned out to not be such a promising move.  In order to buy the property, Jared needed to mortgage much of the property to the tune of about 1.3 or 1.4 billion USD, i.e., lots of money.  (I'd love to know how that mortgage got approved, but perhaps that's another topic.) 

 

The due date for repayment of the mortgage started to loom in the then near future.  As luck would have it, Jared found his investor to help with the huge mortgage, who just happened to have important ties to Qatar.

 

Jared also needed some financing of certain condos in Jersey City, USA.

 

Well, it all gets a little involved, so I'll provide a link below to an article that explains the details better than me. 

 

Here's part of it:

 

"Kushner did little to dispel the notion that he’d sell state secrets to the highest bidder to finance some condos in Jersey City by refusing to allow embassy staffers to sit in on his meeting last week with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who U.S. officials fear views Kushner as a ripe target for manipulation."  [Bold added.]

 

By the way, did not the Trump Administration want MBS and Saudi Arabia to get nuclear power plants?  What a coincidence!

 

Here's the news link for more and better details:

 

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/03/jared-kushner-666-5th-ave-qatar

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 1, 20197 yr by helpisgood
typos

Nice smear against Jared and Ivanka suggesting they are druggies, is there no depth the anti-Trumpers will not sink to? I would say, if Trump trusts the 2 and wants them given security clearance then just give it to them. After all, Trump has just been proven correct at every turn against the so called "deep state" civil sector.

 But this reminds me, did not a recent President admit to using marijuana and cocaine, and yet he was given security clearance? Double standards are not the sign of a well running state agencies in my humblest opinion.

This is just yet another in a series of unprecedented scandalous actions by this White House. Sadly the Republican-controlled Senate continues to give the Executive Branch cover whatever illegal or unethical acts they commit no matter how corrupt or against the U.S.'s national interest.

 

Until the Senate ceases to act as Trump's lap dog, we should continue to expect egregiously corrupt behaviour to be uncovered. Trump has been shown to act in this manner until somebody actually stops him. He doesn't respond to rational argument or fear of the law.

The President has the final say...

 

Now go to your "safe-room" and suck your thumb...????

32 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Nice smear against Jared and Ivanka suggesting they are druggies, is there no depth the anti-Trumpers will not sink to? I would say, if Trump trusts the 2 and wants them given security clearance then just give it to them. After all, Trump has just been proven correct at every turn against the so called "deep state" civil sector.

 But this reminds me, did not a recent President admit to using marijuana and cocaine, and yet he was given security clearance? Double standards are not the sign of a well running state agencies in my humblest opinion.

You don't know how security clearances work, do you?

 

Ever had one?

Just now, heybruce said:

You don't know how security clearances work, do you?

 

Ever had one?

Yes.

13 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

The President has the final say...

 

Now go to your "safe-room" and suck your thumb...????

The old Richard Nixon excuse:  "If the President does it, it's legal".

 

On his first meetings with Russians as President, Trump revealed highly classified foreign intelligence to them.  Now it appears he's handing out security clearances liberally to people unfit to hold them.  Doesn't that bother the "America First" crowd just a little?

1 minute ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Yes.

Did they limit their background investigation to the time after you entered government service?  Or did they look into things that happened before.

1 minute ago, heybruce said:

The old Richard Nixon excuse:  "If the President does it, it's legal".

 

On his first meetings with Russians as President, Trump revealed highly classified foreign intelligence to them.  Now it appears he's handing out security clearances liberally to people unfit to hold them.  Doesn't that bother the "America First" crowd just a little?

Oh my, you had the priviledge of attending that 1st Russian meeting...?  1st hand knowledge is so important in today's world...????

Trump’s troubles are just getting started.

 

 

7 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

Oh my, you had the priviledge of attending that 1st Russian meeting...?  1st hand knowledge is so important in today's world...????

Are you really that uninformed?

 

" President Donald Trump discussed classified information during an Oval Office meeting on May 10, 2017 with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, providing sufficient details that could be used by the Russians to deduce the source of the information and the manner in which it was collected, according to current and former government officials.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} "  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump's_disclosures_of_classified_information

 

 

1 minute ago, heybruce said:

Are you really that uninformed?

 

" President Donald Trump discussed classified information during an Oval Office meeting on May 10, 2017 with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, providing sufficient details that could be used by the Russians to deduce the source of the information and the manner in which it was collected, according to current and former government officials.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} "  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump's_disclosures_of_classified_information

 

LOL what an embarrassing, childish thing to be waving around as evidence of wrongdoing. 

 

The Russian Foreign Minister, and the Russian Ambassador, and the context of the EVIL conversation was ISIS Laptop Bombs, during the time when ISIS Laptop Bombs were a huge fear. 

 

Epitome of clickbait. 

5 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

 

LOL what an embarrassing, childish thing to be waving around as evidence of wrongdoing. 

 

The Russian Foreign Minister, and the Russian Ambassador, and the context of the EVIL conversation was ISIS Laptop Bombs, during the time when ISIS Laptop Bombs were a huge fear. 

 

Epitome of clickbait. 

No one denies that was the subject. The point is that Trump revealed intelligence that revealed the location of a crucial source of said Israeli intelligence. After the Israelis had specified that this was highly classified and  not to be shared. 

1 minute ago, bristolboy said:

The point is that Trump revealed intelligence that revealed the location of a crucial source of said Israeli intelligence. 

 

Thats entirely speculation on your behalf.

 

And Trump has the Authority do talk about these things if he so chooses. Thats one of the perks of being the US president. 

12 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

 

Thats entirely speculation on your behalf.

 

And Trump has the Authority do talk about these things if he so chooses. Thats one of the perks of being the US president. 

Running his mouth on matters of other nation’s intelligence information to Russians has consequences, not least for every other nation that shares intelligence information with the US.

 

It is inevitable that Trump’s actions spilling intelligence information ton Russia has created mistrust between the US and it’s most important allies.

 

Trump acting in plain sight as a lap dog to an adversary while undermining trust with allies.

 

 

11 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Running his mouth on matters of other nation’s intelligence information to Russians has consequences, not least for every other nation that shares intelligence information with the US.

 

It is inevitable that Trump’s actions spilling intelligence information ton Russia has created mistrust between the US and it’s most important allies.

 

Trump acting in plain sight as a lap dog to an adversary while undermining trust with allies.

 

Just curious, is there anything, anything at all that trump does that isn't complete doom and gloom end-of-days to you guys? Everything he does makes you guys hyperventilate. 

 

The only people jeopardizing the relationship with Israel are the modern left Anti-Israel Democrats. This is an undeniable fact, so please, spare us all the hyperbole and faux caring. 

 

 

1 minute ago, Thainesss said:

 

Just curious, is there anything, anything at all that trump does that isn't complete doom and gloom end-of-days to you guys? Everything he does makes you guys hyperventilate. 

 

The only people jeopardizing the relationship with Israel are the modern left Anti-Israel Democrats. This is an undeniable fact, so please, spare us all the hyperbole and faux caring. 

 

 

‘Hyperventilate’ you say.

National Security is an incredibly important consideration.  The GOP wouldn't shut up about it during the 2016 campaign.  Hillary's email server, administered by Satan himself!  But now the GOP is turning a blind eye on it.  Hmmm, I wonder why they changed their tune....

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Thainesss said:

 

LOL what an embarrassing, childish thing to be waving around as evidence of wrongdoing. 

 

The Russian Foreign Minister, and the Russian Ambassador, and the context of the EVIL conversation was ISIS Laptop Bombs, during the time when ISIS Laptop Bombs were a huge fear. 

 

Epitome of clickbait. 

How do you know what classified was revealed?  Quoting Puchaiyank:  " Oh my, you had the priviledge of attending that 1st Russian meeting...? "

 

Are you disputing that Trump revealed highly classified foreign intel?  You may be the only one.  Why did US intelligence react this way?

 

" It was later reported that Israel was the source of the information.^[8] Israel did not confirm or deny the report but released a statement stating full confidence in the intelligence sharing relationships with the United States.^[9]Ynetnews, an Israeli online news site, reported on January 12 that U.S. intelligence advised Israeli intelligence officers to be cautious about sharing information with the incoming Trump administration, until the possibility of Russian influence over Trump, suggested by Christopher Steele's report (commonly referred as the Trump–Russia dossier), has been fully investigated.^[10]"

Let's not divert the topic into one about whether Trump himself is a security hazard; he clearly is.  However this topic as about the administration circumventing established security procedures to give Trump's people security clearances.  In view of Trump's history of hiring people who lied about shady dealings with foreign governments, this is the last administration one would want to take shortcuts on security.

I have had a security clearance since when I first joined the US Air Force way back in 1982 and I have held all levels, some levels described with letters.  The so called Trump Personnel security directory that according to the article over ruled things, in no way has such authority to do that as far as I know.  While he may over rule it, his opinion officially should have meant nothing. Security clearance folks, DISCO, DIA, and there are others, do NOT have him as a boss.  Of course I understand the politics of things.  Can you imagine the poor case worker government employee that got handed their files and was told to give them a clearance, when the case worker knows full well they are disqualified for several reasons.  "Pass them or get fired, pressured to get fired, reassigned to the basement, zero chance of promotion, etc.

2 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Nice smear against Jared and Ivanka suggesting they are druggies, is there no depth the anti-Trumpers will not sink to?

Oh, they've learned from the best:

 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/clinton-body-bags/

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/3/29/18286890/qanon-mueller-report-barr-trump-conspiracy-theories

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Conspiracy_theories_regarding_Barack_Obama

 

As you can see the Dems have a loooong way to go until they've reached the depths at which the right wing nutters operate.

 

19 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

I have had a security clearance since when I first joined the US Air Force way back in 1982 and I have held all levels, some levels described with letters.  The so called Trump Personnel security directory that according to the article over ruled things, in no way has such authority to do that as far as I know.  While he may over rule it, his opinion officially should have meant nothing. Security clearance folks, DISCO, DIA, and there are others, do NOT have him as a boss.  Of course I understand the politics of things.  Can you imagine the poor case worker government employee that got handed their files and was told to give them a clearance, when the case worker knows full well they are disqualified for several reasons.  "Pass them or get fired, pressured to get fired, reassigned to the basement, zero chance of promotion, etc.

I don't know if Trump has the authority to over-rule his security people on this matter.  However this is definitely a matter in which Congress has the right and duty to investigate.

With absolutely no intent to finger point either Trump or the USA, plainly on a ethical approach, in many western nations, it would be inappropraite and politically incorrect for a person holding office to put their family members on taxpayer payroll.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

She said President Donald Trump's former White House personnel security director, Carl Kline, personally overruled the career officials' judgements in the cases of two senior officials.

I'm confused by this OP. As I read it only two people were granted clearance due to over ruling, and apparently neither were Ivanka or Jared.

In any case, them getting clearance was contested in the media at the time ( or at least on TVF ), so is the headline even accurate, or relevant? Could this be just another stone to throw at Trump?

13 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I'm confused by this OP. As I read it only two people were granted clearance due to over ruling, and apparently neither were Ivanka or Jared.

In any case, them getting clearance was contested in the media at the time ( or at least on TVF ), so is the headline even accurate, or relevant? Could this be just another stone to throw at Trump?

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Two sources familiar with the information obtained by the Oversight Committee said two of those three senior officials are Ivanka Trump and Kushner, her husband.

I know... it was a long article, but yes, the headline appears accurate.

 

contested in the media? Questioned and tested by the media, more like, and found to be wanting.... ergo now being questioned and tested by law makers

 

but relevance? Well.... I reckon anyone coming within earshot of capt bonespur should either have security clearance, or their eyes and eardrums burnt out, as no way can the capt stop his gums flapping..... lock him up!

7 hours ago, webfact said:

A White House whistleblower has said the Trump administration overruled security experts to give questionable security clearances to more than two dozen people, including the president's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

I didn't like Hilary with all the e-mail and nominee cheating but this guy oversteps her by millions of miles, he's does whatever he wants regardless of the law and security principles....