Records Reveal Top Aides Retained Clearance After Leaving State Dept.
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is requesting an update on the State Department’s review of security clearances for former Secretary Hillary Clinton and her top aides involved in the mishandling and transmittal of classified information over her personal email server. Grassley’s request comes as recently-obtained records indicate that some of Clinton’s top aides were able to retain their clearances even after leaving the State Department.
The State Department recently informed the Judiciary Committee that six of Clinton’s former aides were designated as “research assistants,” which allows them to take their clearance with them after their official service at the department concludes.
In a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Grassley is seeking details on the status of the security clearances of those involved in mishandling classified materials, and any steps the department is taking to review whether the clearances should be suspended or revoked.
“Any other government workers who engaged in such serious offenses would, at a minimum, have their clearances suspended pending an investigation. The failure to do so has given the public the impression that Secretary Clinton and her associates received special treatment,” Grassley said in the letter.
Following FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s email server, Director James Comey noted that “there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information,” and that individuals who are careless with such material are “often subject to security or administrative sanctions.”
The State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, which oversees security clearances at the department, previously told Grassley’s office that it would wait until the FBI concluded its investigation into the server before determining whether those involved should face consequences for mishandling sensitive material. While the investigation has been over for months, it remains unclear whether any such review has taken place.
Full text of Grassley’s letter follows.
