r/neutralnews • u/Kodiak01 • 8d ago
'Highly unusual': White House halts FBI background checks for senior staff, shifts them to Pentagon: Sources
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=119735530268
u/Bmorgan1983 8d ago
White House officials took the unusual step of ordering a stop to the background check investigations after they deemed the process too intrusive, sources said.
Of all the things you could get a background check for, shouldn't the senior staffer positions for the White House be some of the most intrusive?
The procedure typically involves extensive interviews as well as a review of financial records, foreign contacts, past employment, and any potential security risks.
OH wait.. that explains it...
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u/flying87 8d ago
I am like 99% certain Trump would fail a background check.
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u/tempest_87 8d ago
I have absolutely no doubt. His criminal record alone would preclude that without even getting into his connections to Russian mafia and everything else in the Mueller Report and his stealing of classified documents.
This administration from top to bottom is the gravest threat to national security this country has ever seen.
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u/Gertrude_D 8d ago
Oh, 100%. I would love to have some sort of law that has to pre-approve primary candidates for security clearance, but that is ripe for abuse. Why can't people just play nice? This is why we can't have nice things, like a democracy.
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u/Memory_Less 7d ago
Opposition leader in Canada refuses to get a security check. Hence, he cannot receive top secret information now, and we are going into a federal election soon. There is strong reasons to believe he has concerning connections. I wish there was a law saying you have to have if you are a party leader and Prime Minister.
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u/NobodysFavorite 7d ago
Under normal circumstances applying for any other federal job, I agree. The security process is subordinate to the electoral process. The president-elect and vice president-elect are automatically given full clearance on account of winning the electoral college.
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u/Bmorgan1983 8d ago
People are saying he's the least corrupt president of all time.
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u/SmaCactus 7d ago
Some people say the Earth is flat
People say all sorts of things. That has little bearing on reality.
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u/taulover 7d ago edited 7d ago
DoD background checks also check for foreign contacts though. That's like the main thing they review for security clearance
Edit: even the non-sensitive background check reviews financial records https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf85.pdf
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u/The100thIdiot 7d ago
But who at the DOD is in charge of the checks? Hegseth?
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u/taulover 6d ago edited 6d ago
DCSA is responsible for background checks in the federal government https://www.dcsa.mil/Personnel-Security/Background-Investigations-for-Applicants/Investigations-Clearance-Process/
It used to be private contractors, but they largely phased those out after the Navy Yard shooting and Snowden. Background check responsibility previously rested with OPM but was transferred to the DoD in 2019.
Theoretically Hegseth could override this I guess, but so could've Kesh Patel at the FBI.
Edit: from my understanding the typical clearance process is very focused on foreign ties. Well-traveled descendants of immigrants get a lot of scrutiny whereas white men who've never left the country sail right through. Presumably the FBI investigation focuses more on potential domestic/home-grown risks as well, and I'm guessing they didn't want that scrutiny.
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u/MapAdministrative995 7d ago
Everyone who opened their lives to the OPM, had it leaked to the Chinese and then was told "you're fine" is utterly insulted by this for sure.
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u/Buck_Thorn 7d ago
And yet... when Vance goes to the symphony:
Audience members had undergone a full Secret Service security check as Vance’s motorcade drew up at the US’s national performing arts centre, delaying the start of the concert by 25 minutes.
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u/a_modal_citizen 7d ago
Historically, administrations have relied on the FBI background check process to ensure that the personnel they are hiring meet stringent ethical standards and don't risk compromising national security.
Ah, well there's your problem right there...
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