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The Scandal Is That Alcee Hastings Has A Security Clearance At All

The Ace at Polipundit did a great synopsis today with “Meet Alcee Hastings.”
In 2005, Democrats demanded the termination of Rove’s security clearance:

Massachusetts Rep. John Tierney (D) just announced that all Democrats on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence today sent a letter to President Bush demanding that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove’s security clearance be revoked in the wake of revelations that he was involved in the leak of a covert CIA operative’s name.

This is a major development – Democrats of all stripes on the committee are coming together to do what’s right. And as I wrote yesterday, historical precedent shows that the absolute least the White House must do is make sure a security risk like Rove is not allowed access to anymore classified information. Let’s see what President Bush’s formal response to this letter will be.

A copy of that letter is HERE.
Alcee Hastings signed that letter.

At the Department of Defense, a bribery conviction will result in a clearance denial long after the conviction:

The Applicant’s felony conviction for 7 counts of bribery in 1984 indicates that he is not sufficiently responsible or trustworthy to hold a security clearance.

Why does Hastings have a clearance at all?

Under the current system of gaining security clearance, congressional staff and other federal employees are subject to scrupulous background checks and an intensive interview process before obtaining access to sensitive information. If an investigation reveals that a security clearance applicant might pose a threat to national security, they can be denied security clearance. “Risks” such as associating with people who have a criminal background, a history of alcohol abuse, financial problems, and other issues can be used to justify security clearance denial.

Meanwhile, members of congress are not subject to any type of background check. They are merely asked to promise not to reveal any of the nation’s secrets. That’s it. According to a seasoned professional, Winslow Wheeler, with 31 years experience on Capitol Hill, members of Congress are granted security clearance simply by being elected. Winslow worked for the Senate Budget Committee for six years as a security official. He recently published a book about Congress and national security.

The scandal is that Alcee Hastings has a security clearance at all. The next Congress should work in a bi-partisan manner to end this practice, once and for all.

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Posted by Stop The ACLU Special Contributor on November 17, 2006 2:02 pm

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One Response to “The Scandal Is That Alcee Hastings Has A Security Clearance At All”

  1. KeithH on November 18th, 2006 12:02 am

    For that matter, why does Senator Leahy have a security clearance:

    http://thinkinboutstuff.com/thinkinboutstuff/nfblog/2006/11/18/leaky-leahy-at-it-again/

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