Posted on 08/18/2018 2:43:17 PM PDT by Libloather
**SNIP**
Similarly, a DHS document published in April noted the value of granting security clearances to those who own and operative private companies tied to the nation's critical infrastructure, including power companies, chemical plants, water utility firms and phone companies.
"With clearances, these owners, operators, and representatives can access classified information to make more informed decisions," the DHS document said.
The U.S. government also grants security clearance to private-sector security operatives protecting U.S. interests overseas, to senior bank officials looking to protect Americans’ savings accounts from foreign hackers, and to high-level officials at hotel chains who spend every day trying to protect Americans staying in their properties around the world.
Cohen, however, noted that the majority of people with clearances are not granted "top secret" access, and that is "a very big difference" because those with "top secret" clearance must pass an "in-depth and thorough background check" and a polygraph exam.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Or sold. Lock her up.
I had a Top Secret clearance and was not required to take a polygraph exam. Must have been added since then.
Same here. Just an FBI background check.
They haven’t. There are certain additions to the TS clearance that require a polygraph. However, the most common TS/SCI does not require it.
Even “Secret” info is secret for a reason and releasing it hurts national security and is illegal.
Brennan's year IS UP!
Same here. I was granted the TS without knowing I was even up for it.
Top Secret is way down on the ladder of clearance levels.
When I was in the USNR, the three basic classifications were: Confidential, Secret and Top Secret. Then there were higher and more narrow classifications related to communications and other specialized areas.
They actually need to provide more detail when they start writing about how many people are granted security clearances, both in and outside of government. I seriously doubt Top Secret clearances are being handed out like candy, and the fact that many have clearances at lower levels does not diminish the serious question of whether Trump hating blabbermouths like Brennan and Clapper should still have high level clearances.
In addition to a clearance (Confidential, Secret, Top Secret, TS/SCIF and other enhancements, a cleared individual must have a need to know. So why does a former CIA director require TS/SCIF current clearance. If something he may have been expert on reappears, he can be consulted without; however, if he has been consulted recently, the person requiring the consultation should be locked up and the key thrown away. By the way, if I had handled any of my classified information like the Witch, I would still be trying to find the first floor of a Federal Prison that I was placed in the basement or lower.
What does this have to do with Brennan, Clapper, Ohr, Killary, Huma, Cheryl Mills, etc?
I suspect all of those people have pretty high ranking security clearances.
Their type of clearance does not relate to this story at all.
Revoke them ALL, now!
I was assigned to a job which required TS-C and I heard from neighbors that government officials had questioned them about me. I had no idea it was going to be that thorough. No polygraph required. Mostly it was filling out long forms asking about all my foreign travels (which were many because of several cruises all over) and details of every one of my relatives.
“Even “Secret” info is secret for a reason”
Yeah, protecting budgets. The VAST majority of classified information does not pertain to national security interests.
I’ve had countless program clearances, and only a handful actually needed to be kept secret.
Most were to protect the program budget.
And there are different types of polygraphs. The highest and most instrusive is a "Full Scope" poly. It's no fun. You're strapped to several devices and stare at a gray wall for three hours while they ask you a series of "gotcha" questions to try and trip you up. I get one every 10 years. Then of course there's the annual financial disclosure reporting and the three-year background investigation.
Thanks to Snowden, they've also introduced a psych exam, which they'll do every 5 years. That's a 3 hour exam to find out if you're a nutcase, and can be trusted with America's secrets.
Sometimes.
and sometimes it’s just ‘secret’ to cover waste, treason, and malfeasance.
things should only be made, or kept, secret with very good reason and for the minimum time possible, with the default being available to everyone unless a very substantial case can be made. And then for no more than a few years, if even that.
All of which can be hacked and compromised. More sources... More opportunities...
Why do we need 4 MILLION GOV WORKERS?
Yep, this story clearly qualifies as fake news. I think the purpose of it is nothing more than to make it sound as if government security clearances are so common that it's just beyond unreasonable to revoke Brennan's, or other Trump hater's clearances. And as you point out, the level of clearances in this story has little or nothing to do with the far higher security clearances held by Brennan, Clapper and others.
What a BS article. It used to be sports pages were penned at a 5th grade level; however, it’s patently obvious modern journalists never advanced that far. The distinction between clearance and access is not that difficult.
Clearance doesn’t grant or guarantee access to anything. The number of clearances has increased dramatically as critical infrastructure has become more a part of our national security posture due to terrorism.
The problem isn’t the increase in our threat surface, it’s the fact that the standards for clearances were lowered dramatically under Clinton’s and Obama’s tenures. Over half of Clinton’s cabinet was ineligible for clearance due to drug use, while the vast majority of Obama’s entire administration would have been completely barred due to foreign influence or allegiance. The other categorical change was eradicating sexual behavior as a disqualification.
Is it really any wonder that security breaches are commonplace? Is any mainstream media source ever going to address any one of these changes? About as soon as Google employs the moderators at Free Republic to determine fake news...
TS is the highest clearance level. Access levels vary by program and sectors.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.