Citizen Trump likely wouldn't get a security clearance. Here's why.
By Colbert I. King Opinion writer February 17 at 7:01 PM
If Donald Trump were an off-the-street federal job applicant, he most likely would not be granted a security clearance. Measured against the standards applied to thousands of Americans involved with our national security, knowledge essential to granting Trump access to classified information simply isn’t there.
Security clearances are granted after determining that an individual’s personal and professional histories make it safe to do so. The criteria for such a judgment include, quoting State Department policy, the person’s “loyalty to the United States, strength of character, trustworthiness, honesty, reliability, discretion, and sound judgment, as well as freedom from conflicting allegiances and potential for coercion, and a willingness and ability to abide by regulations governing the use, handling, and protection of classified information.”
Eligibility for access to classified information is not based on a person’s wealth, business acumen or ability to persuade large crowds. Great attributes, maybe. But they are no basis upon which to decide whether an individual ought to have access to the nation’s secrets.
The most critical step in deciding whether to grant someone access to classified information is a background investigation consisting of a thorough examination of the individual’s past and current histories.
In previous incarnations, and during years of service as an investigator with the U.S. Civil Service Commission (now the Office of Personnel Management) and as a special agent and regional security officer with the State Department, I conducted hundreds of background investigations here and overseas.
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