The top Democrat of the House Oversight Committee requested on Thursday that White House chief of staff John Kelly provide send documents related to a White House contractor’s outstanding arrest warrant for attempted first-degree murder.
In a letter to Kelly, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland asked why National Security Council contractor Martese Edwards was permitted to work for the council up until being arrested at a Secret Service checkpoint on Tuesday.
“These reports raise grave questions about how an individual facing charges of attempted murder could have continued working at the White House for nearly three weeks,” Cummings wrote in his letter.
Besides the outstanding warrant for attempted murder, Edwards also faced assault and domestic violence allegations, but was still able to maintain a security clearance, and was cleared for entry at the White House.
Edwards began working as an “admin guy” for the National Security Council in December 2017 after he had two prior encounters with law enforcement.
“This is not the first time the White House has faced questions about flaws in vetting officials with a record of serious domestic abuse allegations,” Cummings wrote, citing issues surrounding domestic violence charges against former White House staff secretary Rob Porter.
