Clearances
FBI Director Kash Patel waived polygraph security screening for Dan Bongino, two other senior staff
As the FBI’s deputy director, Bongino receives some of the country’s most sensitive secrets, including the President’s Daily Brief. His ascent to that position without passing a standard bureau background check is unprecedented, insiders say.
Security clearance secrecy faces new scrutiny after Elon Musk disclosures
COMMENTARY | A federal judge’s order to release some details of Musk’s security clearances highlights how public disclosures by high-profile individuals can erode Privacy Act protections and raises questions about transparency and accountability in the clearance process.
Who should the government trust? Now’s your chance to weigh in
COMMENTARY | A new OPM rule would give agencies more power to remove employees deemed untrustworthy—part of a bigger shift toward a single, risk-based vetting system.
It's time for a Security Clearance Ready Reserve
COMMENTARY | A Clearance Ready Reserve would serve as a strategic hedge against attrition, espionage and workforce volatility.
Senior Democrat wants to know who in the Trump White House got Top Secret clearance without a complete background check
Trump issued a memo providing temporary security clearances for certain personnel, arguing delays in their vetting were "unacceptable."
Trump wants a faster security clearance process, too
COMMENTARY | Priorities shift with every election cycle, but one remains constant: the demand for a more efficient government hiring process including security clearance eligibility and vetting.
20 years of clearance reform: From intelligence reform to Trusted Workforce
COMMENTARY | It’s time to finish what the 2004 Intelligence Reform And Terrorism Prevention Act started, argues one clearance expert.
New bill would require FBI recommendation on security clearances for White House appointees
The Security Clearance Review Act — cosponsored by Reps. Don Beyer, D-Va., and Ted Lieu, D-Calif., would require the president to provide Congress with written justification for overruling an FBI clearance denial of executive office appointees.
Trusted Workforce 2.0: Moving the chains to phase three in federal vetting reform
COMMENTARY | “It's no longer just about strategy—it's about execution,” writes one expert.
Trusted Workforce is the kind of bipartisan, broad government reform we need
COMMENTARY | Creating better, more agile processes for onboarding federal workers, is an example of the kind of reform that’s difficult, but not impossible when government agencies and the executive and legislative branches work together, writes one observer.
Candidate-centric vetting: A new era of mobility
COMMENTARY | Improved tracking of suitability determinations would lead to true reciprocity and transfer of trust, writes one Trusted Workforce 2.0 expert.
High crimes and mental competency don’t keep presidents from security clearances because, they don’t get them
COMMENTARY | Even more important than the president when it comes to protecting classified information are those national security professionals with the jobs of ensuring it is briefed, stored, and shared properly, writes one security clearance expert.
Featured eBooks
Easing federal marijuana rules: There’s still a long way to go
The Drug Enforcement Administration typically looks at three factors when assessing how strictly to regulate a drug: its medicinal value, potential for abuse relative to other drugs and ability to cause physical addiction.
An inspector general warned the Justice Department of gaps in its security clearance appeals process
The department and its component agencies have failed to implement a provision of the 2014 Intelligence Authorization Act guaranteeing federal employees of the right to appeal lengthy security clearance suspensions.
Honesty is always the best policy, but it isn’t a silver bullet for security clearances
COMMENTARY | Candor isn’t helping the growing number of security clearance holders and applicants with drug use issues.
National Security compensation set a record high in 2023
COMMENTARY | The uptick in cleared compensation is good news for the national security workforce and also a good thing for national security.
How diverse candidates can better navigate the security clearance process
COMMENTARY | Simple steps can make the security clearance process less of a barrier to keeping diverse candidates out of government careers.
Elon Musk and why you should never compare when it comes to security clearances
COMMENTARY | The government looks holistically at the benefits and risks to national security with each clearance granted.
GAO: Agencies need to trust each other’s background check processes
An array of technical and cultural challenges plague the federal government’s ability to OK the transfer of federal employees across agencies, the government watchdog found.
Could ketamine use cause problems for your security clearance eligibility?
COMMENTARY | When it comes to drug treatments, there’s one key to staying on the right side of a security clearance adjudication.
Continuous vetting identifies risks earlier, and is getting ready to roll out across government
COMMENTARY | If there is an issue that could be flagged, federal employees should report it now, and get help, an expert says.
