President Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly said Friday he was alarmed last September when he first learned about the number of White House staffers who were operating on temporary security clearances.
The former Marine general told reporters during a meeting on Friday that he felt like he was “having my eyes opened” when he saw how many of his colleagues had yet to receive permanent clearances due to incomplete or stalled background investigations.
Though he declined to provide a number, Kelly said it was “more people than I was comfortable with.” He told reporters he later approached the FBI with several questions about the process in the hope that it might get resolved.
Kelly’s candor about the number of administration officials who spent months accessing classified information without permanent clearances comes days after more than 30 aides to the president were reportedly downgraded from top-secret interim clearances to lower-level “secret” clearances. Among those who lost their high-level clearances was presidential son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.
The move came on the heels of a Feb. 16 memo in which Kelly requested assistance from senior intelligence officials and outlined a series of changes to the current clearance process. Trump’s chief of staff informed the FBI, Justice Department, and CIA director that staffers who had been operating on a temporary clearance since last June would have their access discontinued the following week.
Some White House officials have defended Kushner amid the clearance crackdown, with press secretary Sarah Sanders telling reporters this week, “He is a valued member of the team and will continued to do the important work he has been doing since he started in the administration.”
