Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 2 april 2019
Trump team overruled 25 clearance denials, official says

By CHAD DAY sons” were a small fraction
Associated Press of about 5,000 employees
WASHINGTON (AP) — A who work in the Executive
career official in the White Office of the President.
House security office says According to Democrat
dozens of people in Presi- Cummings’ memo, though,
dent Donald Trump’s ad- Newbold considered the
ministration were granted decisions to be part of
security clearances despite a “systematic” problem
“disqualifying issues” in their within her office where the
backgrounds, including decisions of security clear-
concerns about foreign in- ance reviewers were “con-
fluence, drug use and crim- tinuously” overridden.
inal conduct. Newbold said she raised
Tricia Newbold, an 18-year her concerns up the chain
government employee of command in the White
who oversaw the issuance House to no avail.
of clearances for some Instead, she said, the White
senior White House aides, House retaliated, suspend-
says she compiled a list ing her in January for 14
of at least 25 officials who days without pay for not
were initially denied secu- following a new policy re-
rity clearances last year quiring that documents be
but then had those denials scanned as separate PDF
overruled by senior admin- files rather than one single
istration officials. PDF file.
The allegations were de- Newbold said that when
tailed in a letter and memo she returned to work in Feb-
released Monday by Rep. ruary, she was cut out of the
Elijah Cummings of Mary- security clearance process.
land, chairman of the In this March 24, 2019 photo, The White House is seen behind security barriers in Washington. The office also announced
House Oversight and Re- Associated Press a plan to “restructure” that
form Committee. say they include “two cur- “According to Ms. New- said he will move this week would remove her from a
The documents, which rent senior White House offi- bold, these individuals had to authorize his first subpoe- supervisory role, she said.
are based on Newbold’s cials, as well as contractors a wide range of serious dis- na in the probe. In response to Newbold’s
March 23 private commit- and individuals” in different qualifying issues involving The subpoena will be for interview, Cummings is ask-
tee interview, don’t identify parts of the Executive Of- foreign influence, conflicts the deposition of Carl Kline, ing the White House to turn
the officials on the list but fice of the President. of interest, concerning per- who served as the White over the list she created as
sonal conduct, financial House personnel security well as documents related
problems, drug use and director and supervised to the handling of security
criminal conduct,” the Newbold. clearances for several se-
memo says. He has since left the White nior officials including Flynn,
The release of the docu- House for the Defense De- Kushner and Porter.
ments sets the stage for partment. Flynn maintained his clear-
another fight between the The White House did not ance even after the White
White House and the Dem- immediately respond to a House learned that he lied
ocratic-controlled House, request for comment Mon- to the FBI about his con-
and immediately drew day. versations with Russia’s am-
criticism from House Re- Rep. Jim Jordan, the com- bassador and that he was
publicans who called the mittee’s ranking Republi- under investigation by the
allegations overblown and can, said in a statement Justice Department for his
“cherry-picked.” that Cummings’ probe is previous foreign work.
Cummings’ panel has a “partisan attack” and Kushner failed to initially
been investigating security an “excuse to go fishing” disclose numerous foreign
clearances issued to senior through personnel files. meetings on security clear-
officials including Trump He also said that one per- ance forms, and, accord-
son-in-law Jared Kushner, son on Newbold’s list is a ing to the Times, career
former national security ad- GSA custodian. officials recommended
viser Michael Flynn and for- Also, in a response memo against granting him a
mer White House aide Rob circulated to Republican clearance before Trump
Porter. members, Jordan’s staff personally overruled them.
That probe has picked up cast Newbold as a disgrun- Porter had high-level ac-
steam after The New York tled employee who had cess with an interim secu-
Times reported that Trump only limited knowledge of rity clearance even though
ordered officials to grant the reasons security clear- the FBI repeatedly told the
Kushner a clearance over ances were granted. White House of past allega-
the objections of national The Republican document tions of domestic violence
security officials, and after also suggests Newbold’s lodged against him by two
Newbold spoke out to NBC concerns were “over- ex-wives.
News and other news out- blown,” saying that four or Porter resigned after the
lets about her concerns. five of the clearance de- allegations becoming
On Monday, Cummings nials for “very serious rea- public.q