Tony Snow Has NO Intelligence-Because-He Has NO Security Clearance

[kpete]

Tony Snow admits he has no security clearance...
Thursday, July 20, 2006


White House spokesman still waiting for security clearance

RAW STORY
Published: Thursday July 20, 2006

President George W. Bush's Press Secretary Tony Snow is still waiting for a security clearance, RAW STORY has learned.

In a daily press briefing on Wednesday, when asked about American knowledge of the missile threat from Hezbollah, Snow responded "No, I don't know what the intelligence is. I literally don't know what the intelligence was before the fact, and until my security clearance clears, I'm not going to have access to it. I'm told it's a few more weeks. No, that's true. You come here, you're a new guy, you've got to get the clearances."

Snow was hired on April 26 of this year, almost a full three months ago.

...............................

A transcript of the exchange is provided below.

Q If the reports are correct, and we, in fact, didn't know about the weapons advances that Hezbollah has made, is there some frustration or embarrassment within the intelligence community at the moment?

MR. SNOW: Well, you've asked me one of those "ifs," and then the answer is, I don't know what the knowledge was about intelligence; therefore, I can't answer it. Sorry, Victoria.

Q Well, it seems certainly according to the reports that we didn't know that they had made significant advances.

MR. SNOW: Again, I don't know.

Q Do you know whether -- do you know?

MR. SNOW: No, I don't know what the intelligence is. I literally don't know what the intelligence was before the fact, and until my security clearance clears, I'm not going to have access to it. I'm told it's a few more weeks. No, that's true. You come here, you're a new guy, you've got to get the clearances.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/White_House_spokesman_still_waiting_for_0720.html

[Oreo]

1. I thought they gave out security clearances to all FOX News employees

Maybe he was sick that day?

[jbonkowski]

2. I went to work for a defense contractor

And got my clearance in way less than three months.

Of course, his clearance is probably higher, so it requires more background checking. Still, since the WH controls the FBI, they could assign the resources quite easily. There has to be something else going on here.

Did the FBI find something that set off some red flags?

Something that required more interviews/investigation than would typically be needed?

White supremacy group affiliation?

[annabanana]

3. He has no 'intelligence' either way. . . . . . n/t

[Benhurst]

4. Strange. Jeff Gannon always seemed to have the inside scoop.

But then he probably didn't have a security clearance either. Pillow talk always trumps getting information through the regular channels.