This is a very dangerous development for democracy.
Yesterday, Peter Strzok, a well regarded FBI agent of 21 years, and a top man on Russian counter-intelligence, was booted from the FBI for privately expressing anti-Trump sentiments shared by a majority of Americans. This was proceeded by the firing of ex-FBI directors James Comey and Andrew McCabe because they were trouble for Trump.
On MSNBC Andrea Mitchell talked about how it is obvious that Trump is using his control of security clearances to punish his very vocal critics. She also pointed out that the ability for a current administration to be able to inform and consult with past intelligence officers is in the national interest. On the other side, the president's supporters have accused some of his most prominent critics, especially Brennan and Clapper, of monetizing their security clearances, because they contribute to their access, and status as expert critics. It is true that a security clearance is a valuable asset for its holder.
While all the attention has so far been on Trump's threatening the security clearances of his high profile critics, a message in my Linkedin inbox today reminded me that a security clearance is often seen as a well earned benefit of government employment. More than 4.3 million people have Federal security clearances, including nearly 2.9 million people graded "confidential" or "secret," and another 1.4 million graded "top secret." As the message in my inbox indicates, those established security clearances represent a valuable asset both to the former government employees that hold them, and the corporate employers forced to hire workers with security clearances.
This is a well established system that has benefited both ex-government employees, many of whom accepted government wages well below industry standards as part of their public service, and employers, who will no doubt pass any added cost in acquiring security clearance employees on to the taxpayer, one way or another. Now, Trump has stepped in to use his executive power to re-purpose this system to create a Federal bureaucracy personally loyal to him, and if the focus remains on a few high-profile security clearance losses, the real impact of what Trump is doing will be greatly underestimated.
Here is the message that prompted this blog post. I received it from an unnamed jobs recruiter:
Thank you for the connect. I saw you were working with Linux and I wanted to ask you for some help.It's a good thing that I am happy with my current position, and not looking for a new one, because I don't have a security clearance and don't expect to get one. Even if I could get a security clearance, it would cost this employer more time and money. So, obviously any ex-gov't Linux SysAdmin with a security clearance would have a leg up on me.
I have a client that is looking to fill their Linux Admin position in Edwards AFB, CA. The position is working with pretty cool work - rocket propulsion systems and missile systems. They would prefer someone with a secret clearance but would be willing to look at someone who is a clearable US citizen, and at least 5 years of Linux experience. Would you happen to know of anyone that may fit the description?
The short story is this: No doubt John Brennan will keep his new job with NBC News. He doesn't need a security clearance for it. But many lower level jobs in government and private industry do require security clearances. In that connection, it is particularly significant that the name of a current government employee, Bruce Ohr, was included on his hit list. The implication is that Donald Trump can circumvent HR and anything like norm government procedure to effect the current and future employment of 4.3 million American citizens on a whim. That is a very powerful lever in his effort to build a personal dictatorship out of the Federal government, if it is not checked.
I just thought somebody should point this out.
Clay Claiborne.
Syria is the Paris Commune of the 21st Century!
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