Trump Fires Senior White House Official

[ClydeR]

Trump fired George Banks, special assistant to the president for international energy and environmental policy, because he could not get a security clearance. The reason he could not get the clearance was because he admitting to smoking marijuana in 2013.

In the Obama White House, they had lower standards. Obama gave security clearances to people who came clean about past drug use.

Banks said he was told that his clearance would not be granted because he admitted to smoking marijuana in 2013. Banks said he subsequently offered his resignation, which the White House accepted.

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A former Obama administration official who worked on personnel and vetting issues said the Obama White House usually only denied clearances when there was both past drug use and a lack of full disclosure.

“The whole thing is just demoralizing,” a White House official told POLITICO, arguing that Banks was a victim of the Porter firestorm. “I think a lot of us are scratching our heads.”

[Androidpk]

He resigned, he wasn't fired. And the POTUS doesn't grant security clearances, though he can declassify things.

[ClydeR]

He resigned, he wasn't fired.

A technicality.

And the POTUS doesn't grant security clearances, though he can declassify things.

That's not what Sarah Sanders said.

[cwolff]

That guys and idtiot. He should have gotten drunk and beat his wife. That'd buy him some job security.

Apparently the FBI or contractors do the background check and send it to the WH who makes a decision about granting clearances. Saw that today but it seems fishy because they've had 100 or so people working there who can't get a clearance. If Trump could just wave a wand and grant one to people like Ianka and Kushner he would

[Ardwen]

He resigned after a year of no proper clearance, hardly what you could call a great event. how many others still have no clearances?

[drauz]

He resigned after a year of no proper clearance, hardly what you could call a great event. how many others still have no clearances?

[Orthin]

He resigned after a year of no proper clearance, hardly what you could call a great event. how many others still have no clearances?

If they wanted that individual cleared it would have been done. Backlog be damned high priority cases can be done in the matter of a month and change and be through adjudications in a matter of weeks.

[Androidpk]

He resigned after a year of no proper clearance, hardly what you could call a great event. how many others still have no clearances?

Around 100 people still using interim clearances. I know without a doubt that Kushner will never see a clearance after having to make 38 adjustments to his security form.

[Wrathbringer]

Around 100 people still using interim clearances. I know without a doubt that Kushner will never see a clearance after having to make 38 adjustments to his security form.

So we can now rest assured he will receive a clearance.

[Androidpk]

WASHINGTON — More than 130 political appointees working in the Executive Office of the President did not have permanent security clearances as of November 2017, including the president's daughter, son-in-law and his top legal counsel, according to internal White House documents obtained by NBC News.

Of those appointees working with interim clearances, 47 of them are in positions that report directly to President Donald Trump. About a quarter of all political appointees in the executive office are working with some form of interim security clearance.