Tag: Classified information

WASHINGTON — Jared Kushner's application for a top-secret clearance was rejected by two career White House security specialists after an FBI background check raised concerns about potential foreign influence on him — but their supervisor overruled the recommendation and approved the clearance, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. Kushner's was one of at least 30 cases in which Kline overruled career security experts and approved a top-secret clearance for incoming Trump officials despite unfavorable information, the two sources said. After Kline overruled the White House security specialists and recommended Kushner for a top-secret clearance, Kushner's file then went to the CIA for a ruling on SCI. The sources say the CIA has not granted Kushner clearance to review SCI material. "What you are reporting is what all of us feared," said Brad Moss, a lawyer who represents persons seeking security clearances. They say he overruled career bureaucrats at least 30 times, granting top-secret clearances to officials in the Executive Office of the President or the White House after adjudicators working for him recommended against doing so. Following the FBI investigation, the case went back to the White House office of personnel security, where a career adjudicator reviewed the FBI information, including questions about foreign influence and foreign business entanglements, the sources said. The Washington Post, citing current and former U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports on the matter, reported last February that officials in at least four countries had privately discussed ways they could manipulate Kushner by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience. Sources also told NBC News career employees of the White House office disagreed with other steps Kline took, including ceasing credit checks on security clearance applicants. Newbold raised concerns about Kline's behavior with her second level supervisor regarding his "hostility and integrity," according to the EEOC complaint.

Senate Intelligence Committee veteran arrested for lying to investigators in leak probe charge related to unauthorized disclosure of non-public information; Doug McKelway reports from Washington D.C. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking…

Giuliani says the Trump campaign should have been told about the informant. Chris Swecker gives his take. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. The…

A top-secret Government report has uncovered a decade-long attempt by the Chinese Communist Party to compromise Australia's major political parties. The departmental effort was led by one of the Prime Minister's former advisers, John Garnaut. It is those proposed laws – and the commentary around them – that have been a major factor in the recent chill in the relationship between Australia and China. The Prime Minister referred to the existence of the secret report when he tabled the foreign interference bills in December. "But I can say the reasons for initiating this work were justified and the outcomes have galvanised us to take action. Mr Turnbull has not named China as being the country of most concern to Australia but the secret report does. "Under the uncompromising leadership of President Xi Jinping, China's activities have become too brazen and aggressive to ignore," Mr Garnaut said. "A re-evaluation is taking place in half-a-dozen established democracies around the world, including Australia and the United States. He did not refer to his secret report but noted the scope of the Chinse influence operations had appeared in media reports around the world. Dr Chau has two defamation actions afoot and one names Fairfax Media as a respondent for articles written by Mr Garnaut, when he was that company's Asia Pacific Editor.

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—With Jared Kushner losing his top security clearance, Donald J. Trump is concerned that there will be no one to read classified documents aloud to him anymore, White House aides have confirmed. The aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Kushner’s recitation of top-secret documents had become something of a bedtime ritual for Trump. “Jared would kind of tuck him in and then start reading aloud a document about, say, North Korea’s nuclear program or whatnot,” one aide said. “It got to be something that the President would look forward to.” Whenever Kushner was away on business trips to the United Arab Emirates, China, or other foreign countries, other members of the White House staff would try to fill in for him at bedtime, but Trump would always petulantly reject them. “He’d be, like, ‘You’re no good. I want Jared,’ ” the aide said. According to the aide, Kushner had a “special way” of reading classified documents to Trump, “very slowly and leaving out any long words.” “He’d read in kind of a high, whispery voice that the President found soothing,” the aide said. “Within seconds, he was fast asleep.”

New evidence has emerged that Jeremy Corbyn DID meet with Czechoslovakian spies back in the 1980s and shared some of the most secret and explosive jam recipes that Britain had to offer. The news comes as a blow to Labour and its leader, who’d previously denied any wrongdoing. ‘I’ve never even stopped flicking through a catalogue at the lingerie section,’ Corbyn claimed. Old Czechoslovakian jam jar labels clearly thank ‘Comrade Jeremy Corbyn’ for his help and dedication to the cause. ‘Before Jeremy, all we had was strawberry jam. It was nice but you get sick of the same jam all the time. Then he handed us a recipe book crammed full of the best jam recipes ever seen. And voters are furious with Jeremy. Will he share out our nuclear codes so willingly?’ questioned Bill Gammon of Yorkshire. Corbyn has yet to expand on the latest allegations against him, only saying: ‘I’ve got myself in a bit of a jam here, haven’t I?’