FBI/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The House Oversight Committee on Wednesday [2-14-18] asked Chief of Staff John Kelly and FBI Director Christopher Wray to answer questions about the White House’s security clearance policy and their handling of domestic-abuse allegations against former adviser Rob Porter…
Mr. Gowdy said the committee was seeking to learn what information was available to the White House when it granted Mr. Porter an interim security clearance last January, who had granted the clearance, and what ‘derogatory information’ was subsequently provided to the White House about Mr. Porter, and to whom.
Mr. Gowdy asked both men to provide ‘the date on which any White House employee became aware of potential derogatory or disqualifying information on Porter from the date of his appointment to Feb. 12, 2018, and which individual was so notified,’ according to the letter. He also asked for the date on which Mr. Porter was granted an interim clearance.
In the letter to Mr. Wray, Mr. Gowdy asked whether the FBI had ‘played any role’ in adjudicating Mr. Porter’s security clearance, and if that adjudication had been consistent with standard practice. The FBI is responsible for conducting background checks on West Wing officials, but the decision on whether to issue a security clearance rests with the White House, legal experts said. The committee gave Messrs. Kelly and Wray a deadline of Feb. 28 to answer the committee’s questions. The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.”
-Rebecca Ballhaus, “Lawmakers Ask Kelly, Wray About Rob Porter Security Clearance,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 14, 2018 12:20pm