Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, who has withstood withering criticism for his handling of the matter, on Friday approved an overhaul of security clearance procedures.
A U.S. Embassy official in Baghdad, speaking on condition he not be identified, acknowledged "unfortunate delays" in issuing special visas, the result of enhanced security clearance procedures, some instituted after the Kentucky arrests.
WASHINGTON, Jan .2 The Department of Health, Educa tion and Welfare relaxed for part‐time personnel today the security clearance procedures that had led to the blacklisting, of scientific consultants to the Government and the animosity of many intellectual societies.
On the other hand, Rhee said the government did not expect to rely on classified evidence, avoiding time-consuming security clearance procedures for lawyers, agency declassification reviews or sealed litigation.
But it would put the security clearance procedures well away from the Capitol interior, where the proximity to members of Congress and the actual House and Senate may incite a deranged visitor with a grudge to action.
There's no question in my mind that White House chief of staff John Kelly will be the focal point of a hearing about White House security clearance procedures.
People familiar with the background check and security clearance process in prior administrations have said that such communication failures would not — and did not — occur previously because of procedures that were in place.
And the anthrax case casts doubt on security-clearance procedures.Biological agents are also becoming easier to make, so that a trained biologist with a relatively small amount of cash may soon engineer his own nasty bugs.
Meanwhile, the governor of Michigan Rick Snyder is putting efforts to accept Syrian refugees on hold following the deadly attacks in Paris, until federal officials fully review security clearances and procedures.
Given the terrible situation in Paris, I've directed that we put on hold our efforts to accept new refugees until the U.S. Department of Homeland Security completes a full review of security clearances and procedures.
Delays in the security-clearance process have emerged.
