A White House security specialist was suspended for two weeks without pay days after a report came out that said Jared Kushner’s security clearance had been approved despite objections of career staff.
Tricia Newbold, the suspended specialist, has a rare form of dwarfism and had accused her supervisor Carl Kline of moving files to a new location out of her reach in December 2017. She filed a discrimination complaint against her boss three months ago, according to NBC News. Newbold alleged Kline told her she could ask someone to get the files she needed as a solution.
Security office chief Crede Bailey proposed Newbold’s suspension on Dec. 3.
The complaint against Kline was mentioned in an NBC News report last week that revealed he approved Kushner’s top secret security clearance despite two unnamed career White House security specialists denying the president’s son-in-law and adviser the clearance over concerns about potential foreign influence on him.
“My client has been subjected to ongoing discrimination by a ruthless supervisor who was destroying the personnel security division by granting security clearances over the objections of civil servant recommendations,” Passman told NBC News last week.
In the notice of Newbold’s suspension, which accuses her of defiance of authority and failure to follow instructions, the chief security officer denies the suspension is related to Newbold’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint.
Newbold’s lawyer believes the suspension is retaliation for the complaint against Kline.
“It’s clearly reprisal for her whistle blowing,” said her lawyer Ed Passman. “[It] has no basis in merit whatsoever.”
[Also read: Chris Christie: Jared Kushner carried out a political ‘hit job’ against me]
