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>>> 25 INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING ♪ ♪
>>> 25 INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING TWO CURRENT SENIOR WHITE HOUSE
OFFICIALS, WERE GRANTED SECURITY
CLEARANCES OR ACCESS TO NATIONAL
SECURITY INFORMATION DESPITE
RECOMMENDATIONS TO DENY THEIR
APPLICATIONS.
APPLICATIONS. THIS ACCORDING TO A LIST MADE BY
AN EMPLOYEE OF THE WHITE HOUSE
PERSONNEL OFFICE.
PERSONNEL OFFICE. TRISHA NEWBOLD WHO SPOKE TO THE
HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WHERE
THEY IDENTIFIED HER AS A WHISTLE
BLOUR.
BLOUR. THE "NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTING
MS. NEWBOLD TOLD THE COMMITTEE’S
STAFF MEMBERS THAT THE
CLEARANCES HAVE BEEN DENIED FOR
A VARIETY OF REASONS, FOREIGN
INFLUENCE, DRUG USE, AND
CRIMINAL CONDUCT.
CRIMINAL CONDUCT. SHE SAID IT WAS OVERTURNED BY
MORE SENIOR OFFICIALS WHO DID
NOT FOLLOW PROCEDURES DESIGNED
TO MITIGATE SECURITY RISKS.
WHICH FOLLOWS WITH THE "NEW YORK
TIMES" REPORTING ON JARED
KUSHNER.
KUSHNER. FROM THAT REPORT, QUOTE, THE
CLEARANCE HAD BEEN HELD UP IN
PART OVER QUESTIONS FROM THE FBI
AND THE CIA ABOUT HIS FOREIGN
AND BUSINESS CONTACTS.
INCLUDING THOSE RELATED TO
ISRAEL, THE UAE AND RUSSIA,
ACCORDING TO PEOPLE FAMILIAR
WITH THE EVENTS.
CHAIRMAN CUMMINGS WROTE A LETTER
INCREASING PRESSURE ON THE WHITE
HOUSE TO COOPERATE WITH HIS
ONGOING INVESTIGATION INTO THE
SECURITY CLEARANCE PROCESS, IN
LIGHT OF THE GRAVE REPORTS FROM
THIS WHISTLEBLOWER AND THE
ONGOING REFUSAL OF THE WHITE
HOUSE TO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION
WE NEED TO CONDUCT OUR
INVESTIGATION, THE COMMITTEE NOW
PLANS TO PROCEED WITH A COUPLE
POLSRY PROCESS AND BEGIN
AUTHORIZING SUBPOENAS STARTING
TOMORROW.
TOMORROW. EVERYONE IS STILL HERE.
CHUCK ROSENBERG, THIS SEEMS
LIKE -- THIS HAS LONG FELT LIKE
THE LOOMING NATIONAL SECURITY
CRISIS.
CRISIS. THAT THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF
THESE BACKGROUND CHECKS ARE
BLIND TO PARTISANSHIP, THEY’RE
BLIND TO NEPOTISM, USUALLY DON’T
HAVE TO SAY THAT WHEN YOU TALK
ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE SECURITY
CLEARANCE OFFICE, BUT IN THIS
CASE YOU DO.
THEY RENDER JUDGMENTS THAT IN
MOST NORMAL WHITE HOUSES ARE THE
LAST WORD ON THESE BACKGROUND
CHECKS, CLEARLY NOT SO IN THE
TRUMP WHITE HOUSE.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
WE ASK NONPARTISAN PROFESSIONALS
TO DO THE BACKGROUND
INVESTIGATIONS, WE ASK
NONPARTISAN PROFESSIONALS TO
ADJUDICATE THOSE INVESTIGATIONS.
I’VE BEEN THROUGH THE PROCESS
MANY TIMES, IT CAN BE MADDENING,
IT’S LABORIOUS, IT TAKES A LONG
TIME.
TIME. BY THE WAY, IN EVERY
ADMINISTRATION, THERE ARE PEOPLE
WHO FALL OUT OF THE PROCESS.
THEY CAN’T GET THROUGH IT.
THE RED FLAGS GO UP, THEY’RE
TOLD AND THEY POLITELY AND
DISCREETLY WALK AWAY FROM
WHATEVER JOB THEY WERE HOPING TO
GET.
GET. THAT SAID, IT’S ALSO NOT UNUSUAL
MAYBE ONCE, MAYBE TWICE, TO
CLEAR SOMEBODY WHO MIGHT
OTHERWISE HAVE DIFFICULTY
BECAUSE THEY’RE UNIQUELY
TALENTED OR HAVE A PARTICULAR
EXPERTISE.
EXPERTISE. BUT 25?
BUT 25? THAT’S EXTRAORDINARY.
THAT’S EXTRAORDINARY. AND IT CONTINUES TO SHOW, I
THINK, BY THIS ADMINISTRATION, A
DISDAIN FOR THE NORMAL PROSES OF
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. WHICH IN THIS CASE CAN BE
DANGEROUS TO OUR NATIONAL
SECURITY.
SECURITY. >> AND LET’S BE HONEST, I’M SURE
THIS WASN’T YOUR ISSUE BUT MINE
WAS COLLEGE DRUG USE.
AND THE QUESTIONS THAT HOLD UP
AN APPLICATIONS FOR ADDED
SCRUTINY ARE USUALLY NOT FOREIGN
CONTACTS, NOT RED FLAGS RAISED
BY THE CIA, SOME REPORT FROM A
COLLEGE FRIEND THAT THE FBI
KNOCKS ON THE DOOR AND
INTERVIEWS AND ASK YOU, DID YOU
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS -- LET’S
BE HONEST ABOUT THE SCOPE OF
CONCERNS.
CONCERNS. THEY USUALLY AREN’T RED FLAGS
FROM THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. THEY’RE USUALLY MORE MINOR.
WHATEVER YOUR ISSUE OR OTHER
ISSUES MAY HAVE BEEN, NICOLE,
YOU ANSWERED HONESTLY.
>> I DID.
>> I DID. TO ROBERT MUELLER NO LESS.
BUT THAT’S ANOTHER STORY FOR
ANOTHER DAY.
ANOTHER DAY. >> BUT YOU ANSWERED HONESTLY.
AND ANSWERING HONESTLY IS A BIG
DEAL BECAUSE IF THERE IS AN
ISSUE AND IT’S A MINOR ONE.
ANSWERING DISHONESTLY EXCLUDES
YOU AND ANSWERING HONESTLY MEEB
MEANS YOU CAN BE CLEARED.
WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR
CREDIT HISTORY, CRIMINAL
BACKGROUND OR DRUG USE CAN BE
MITIGATED.
MITIGATED. PEOPLE WITH MINOR NICKS AND
DENTS CAN GET THROUGH THE
PROCESS.
PROCESS. BUT TO YOUR POINT, EXTENSIVE
FOREIGN CONTACTS AND FOREIGN
CONTACTS THAT YOU FAIL TO
REPORT, THAT IS A DEEPLY
TROUBLING TREND.
TROUBLING TREND. AND THOSE TYPES OF PEOPLE SHOULD
NEVER BE CLEARED BY NONPARTISAN
PROFESSIONALS.
PROFESSIONALS. THEY NEEDED TO GO ANOTHER LEVEL
HIGHER.
HIGHER. THEY NEEDED THE POLITICALS TO
WEIGH IN AND OVERRULE THE
NONPARTISAN PROFESSIONALS, AND
THAT IS DANGEROUS.
>> AND ROBERT, BECAUSE MY MOTHER
MIGHT SEE THIS, IT WAS JUST
MARIJUANA, BUT LET’S KEEP GOING.
ON THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE
SECURITY CLEARANCE QUESTION,
REPUBLICANS WHEN THEY CONTROLLED
THE COMMITTEE HAD CONCERNS,
THERE WERE FLAGS RAISED INSIDE
AND OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE,
WHEN THESE BECAME APPARENT, AND
WERE RUN BY REPUBLICANS LIKE
TREY GOWDY.
TREY GOWDY. THIS SEEMS LIKE AN ACHILLE’S
HEEL.
HEEL. YOU HAVE TRUMP LOYALIST DON
McGAHN AND JOHN KELLY WHO WERE
SO TROUBLED AROUND THE SECURITY
CLEARANCE PROCESS THAT THEY
PENNED MEMOS TO THE FILE AROUND
WHAT THEY THOUGHT WERE ABUSES.
>> IT’S SIGNIFICANT TO HAVE THE
WHISTLEBLOWER INSIDE THE
PROCESS.
PROCESS. BECAUSE AS REPORTERS WE’VE BEEN
BITING THE EDGES, SEARCHING FOR
ANSWERS FOR TWO YEARS TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WHY WERE SOME OF
THESE SECURITY CLEARANCES
BLOCKED, WHAT DID THE PRESIDENT
SAY WHEN HE MADE THE DECISION TO
OVERRIDE THE DECISIONS, WAS IT
JUST ABOUT COLLEGE DRUG USE OR
FOREIGN CONTACTS OR GETTING
CONTEXT FOR THE FOREIGN CONTACTS
IS CRITICAL.
IS CRITICAL. NOW THAT CONGRESS IS GETTING
ANSWER -- SOME FRESH ANSWERS
MAYBE WE CAN UNDERSTAND MORE
WHAT WAS THE PRESIDENT DOING
WHEN HE WAIVED THESE CLEARANCES
THROUGH.
THROUGH. HOW SIGNIFICANT WAS THAT
DECISION?
DECISION? >> AARON BLAKE YOURS AND
ROBERT’S COLLEAGUES AT "THE
WASHINGTON POST" HAVE BEEN ON
THIS SINCE THE EARLY DAYS OF THE
PRESIDENCY REPORTING WHY JARED
KUSHNER HAS HAD TO UPDATE HIS
DISCLOSURE ON FOREIGN CONTACTS
MORE THAN ONCE, WRITING ABOUT
HIS OVERSEAS CONTACTS RAISING
CONCERNS.
CONCERNS. JARED KUSHNER HAS BEEN -- I
DON’T KNOW WHAT’S BEYOND A RED
FLAG.
FLAG. I GUESS A FLASHING PURPLE FLAG
WITH A SIREN SINCE THE
BEGINNING.
BEGINNING. >> AND CHUCK TALKED ABOUT HOW
THIS PROCESS CAN BE FRUSTRATING,
IT CAN TAKE A LONG TIME.
I THINK THE GENERAL CONSENSUS
WITH KUSHNER IS IT TOOK A LARGE
AMOUNT OF TIME.
THE QUESTION WAS WAS THIS JUST A
SYMPTOM OF THE FACT THIS IS A
GUY WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT
BUSINESS INTERESTS, DIFFERENT
INTERNATIONAL TIES THAT NEEDED
TO BE FIGURED OUT?
WE DON’T REALLY KNOW THE ANSWER
TO THAT QUESTION.
WE ALSO DON’T KNOW WHETHER THIS
WHISTLEBLOWER WAS REFERRING TO
JARED KUSHNER IN SOME OF THE
THINGS WE FOUND OUT, BUT IT’S
NOT DIFFICULT TO DRAW THOSE
CONCLUSIONS.
CONCLUSIONS. IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT TO PUT THIS
IN THE CONTEXT OF EVERYTHING
WE’VE SEEN OVER THE LAST TWO
YEARS.
YEARS. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT
THE WHITE HOUSE HAS BEEN
REPORTED TO BE DOING THINGS WITH
ITS INFORMATION THAT SEEM TO
POSE POTENTIAL NATIONAL SECURITY
THREATS.
THREATS. WE HAD THE PRESIDENT TALKING
WITH RUSSIANS IN THE OVAL
OFFICE, GIVING THEM CLASSIFIED
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. MICHAEL FLYNN BEING KEPT IN THE
WHITE HOUSE AFTER THEY WERE TOLD
FOR A COUPLE WEEKS THAT HE MIGHT
BE COMPROMISED BECAUSE HE HAD
LIED TO THEM.
THE PRESIDENT’S CELL PHONE USE,
THE IDEA THE RUSSIANS AND
CHINESE MIGHT BE LISTENING TO
HIM WHEN HE’S USING AN UNSECURED
CELL PHONE.
CELL PHONE. IT’S ALL THESE THINGS THAT POINT
TO A CAVALIER ATTITUDE TOWARD
NATIONAL SECURITY WHEN IT’S NOT
CONVENIENT FROM THEM.
AND THAT FLIES IN THE FACE OF
WHAT WE SAW FROM THE PRESIDENT
WHEN HE WAS CAMPAIGNING AGAINST
HILLARY CLINTON.
HILLARY CLINTON. >> THIS IS 25 PEOPLE, THIS IS
SYSTEMIC.
SYSTEMIC. OFFICIALS WITHIN THE WHITE
HOUSE, POLITICAL OFFICIALS ARE
OVERRULING AND CHANGING
LONG-STANDING PROTOCOL AND
FORCING CAREER PEOPLE LIKE THIS
TO BASICALLY MAKE APPROVALS THAT
THEY’VE SAID SHOULD NOT BE MADE.
AND, NICOLE, THIS IS SOMETHING
TO BE CLEAR THAT HAS BEEN
BIPARTISAN CONCERN FOR TWO YEARS
THE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS ON
THE COMMITTEES ON THE HILL HAVE
BEEN WRITING THESE LETTERS
TRYING TO GET MORE INFORMATION
AND THEY’VE ESSENTIALLY BEEN
STONE WALLED.