Dozens of White House staffers and other administration officials still have not been fully cleared in terms of security, it’s been learned. CNN has put the number at between thirty to forty individuals, including Jared Kushner, the President’s son-in-law, who are still operating without full security clearances a year into the administration.
The White House has said that the backlog is a byproduct of the clearance process, which is carried out by the FBI and the White House Office of Security, and can take time to complete. But intelligence officials describe the length of the process for this administration as being unusual. The delay, officials say could mean that there are remaining questions or concerns from the intelligence community and law enforcement conducting the reviews.
Officials caution though, that delays in granting clearances can also mean that authorities are having to wade through a lot of information. The fact that many individuals within the Trump administration have yet to receive clearance could be a function of their complicated backgrounds, especially those having to do with financial transactions.
Most appointees in previous administrations had backgrounds in government, meaning they had already been cleared for executive branch jobs. Most of the individuals in the Trump administration are coming from positions outside government, which could be contributing to delays.
The White House declined to comment saying that they are unable to discuss the specifics of the clearance process.