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The mushrooming White House security clearance scandal got even bigger as House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced that his committee would be working with the Oversight Committee on the investigation.

Chairman Schiff said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:

By repeatedly overruling the adjudication decisions of career officials, it appears the White House made a regular practice of placing political considerations ahead of national security, providing top-secret security clearances to applicants in cases where there was concern about susceptibility to foreign influence, conflicts of interest, and more. The President has the authority to override security clearance adjudications, but Congress has a responsibility to provide rigorous oversight when the President allows politics or nepotism to intrude into the security clearance process and place at risk our nation’s security.

As part of its oversight of the Intelligence Community, the House Intelligence Committee will be working closely with the Oversight and Reform Committee to support their investigation into the White House’s security clearance process.

The security clearance scandal is a national security crisis

The investigation falls into the jurisdiction of the House Intelligence Committee because it involves national security and people who are security risks interacting with foreign governments. The powerful Oversight Committee should be in charge of the investigation because of the critical issues surrounding how executive branch power is being used and the basis on which security clearances are being granted by this administration.

Because Democrats control the House, Donald Trump will now be accountable for these decisions.
Knowingly and willfully jeopardizing national security by not protecting the country is an impeachable offense. Trump has been stonewalling Oversight Committee chairman Elijah Cummings for months by refusing to provide documents related to the security clearance issue, but his time is running about as the full oversight authority of the House is about to be unleashed on the Trump administration.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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