As someone who used to work in a classified environment, NO ONE in our organization received access

[politicaljunkie41910]

to classified information until their background investigation was complete and they had passed. It is an affront to all the men and women who protected that data on a daily basis that the Dotard would be so cavalier with our nation's most sensitive data, and give access to that data to people who could not, or were unable to pass the requisite background investigation. I don't even understand why it's being said that president Dotard can allow access to classified information to people without a clearance, at his discretion. That information does not belong to him. That information belongs to our nation's security agencies, for safekeeping on our behalf. Once rung, you cannot unring the bell.

The fact that the Dotard has continuously demonstrated an unnatural affection towards one of our most dangerous adversaries, sneaks around at world leader events to engage in secret conversations with him, is reason enough that he too is unfit for the office that he holds and should be impeached. If the GOP really loved this country as they profess all the time, they would commence impeachment proceeding against him immediately. He is unfit to occupy the highest office in this land. Let him take his ill gotten gains and go. We won't even threaten to "Lock Him Up" if he goes quietly. We just want him gone. Our nation deserves better.

[unblock]

1. Indeed, I was paid for a couple months to do almost literally nothing while waiting for mine

I was brought in as a contract programmer on a darpa project. During the two month wait, I literally came in and read the newspaper (sadly this was before smartphones, and they couldn’t get me internet access fwiw, this was also before the web caught on).

Technically they could have found a way to make me useful as the software wasn’t classified, only the data it used was. But it really wasn’t practical for them to work with me that way. Eventually they were able to declassify a dataset by randomizing the numbers but even that took ages to get approved. I think I got that about a week before my clearance came through.

Some people would dream of getting paid to do nothing, and for a couple days I did have a giddy feeling about it. But by the end if he first week I was bored out of my skull and one month in I was like, please just kill me now.

Anyway it was an awesome gig once the clearance came through.

Point is, I could do essentially *nothing* there without a clearance. I couldn’t even sit with my eventual colleagues because the whole work area was secure. I had to sit outside that area. No fun at all.

[Phoenix61]

2. I worked on an Air Force base in the mental health unit

It took 6 weeks before I could do anything. Apparently, the medical record database is considered classified. You are so right about doing nothing. Some days it was, just shoot me now.

[Stryst]

3. Wilford Hall?

I spent six years at Big Willy as a BMET (biomedical equipment tech), and we had to have our clearance before we were allowed anywhere where we might run into patient information.

[Phoenix61]

4. Nope, Tyndall AFB nt

[Stryst]

12. Never once deployed from Tyndall

Now I live less than three miles from it.

But hey, at least you weren't stuck at Lackland.

[Thyla]

5. Here in the EU

You wont even get hired without background checks on you, your family, spouse and their family if you are to go anywhere near classified info. I know this as a spouse who twice has had to submit my details and my parents.

[BobTheSubgenius]

6. Any agency, even partially clandestine,

or working with sensitive information, like the FBI, NSA, CIA and so on, wouldn't let you handle paper clips until you were vetted.

It reminds me of a Terry Gilliam movie, for some reason.

[getagrip_already]

7. I've held clearances also....

But I was given access under an interim clearance after the initial background checks were complete.

I'm relatively sure though that if they turned up a restraining order, or a dui, or any of a dozen different issues that people can have in public records, I would have been rejected very quickly.

But it takes time to contact and evaluate all of the people you list, every place you lived, trips you took, and any close family living abroad.

[askyagerz]

8. This is one of the first things that needs to fixed

It is absolutely crazy we spend so much money doing background checks on federal employees to protect ourselves. Then allow a bunch of jokers to walk in the white house and look at whatever they want without FULL clearance. There has to be a check and balance on this issue

[Grins]

9. "...an affront to all the men and women who protected that data on a daily basis..."

"It is an affront to all the men and women who protected that data on a daily basis that the Dotard would be so cavalier with our nation's most sensitive data..."

He gave code-level intelligence received from a friendly intelligence service - to the Russians!!!! In the oval office!!!!

[lagomorph777]

10. Same here - there was such a thing as interim CONFIDENTIAL but that's very very limited access.

Allowing such an individual access to anything higher would be severely penalized.

[caballojm]

11. I'm a teacher and we have to go through FBI fingerprinting every six years.

If we forget to renew our fingerprint card in time, we're out of the classroom until we can produce a current card. A principal just lost his job over spousal abuse last year.

[IronLionZion]

13. But her emails

shouldn't we deflect to Hillary at this time instead of the Russian collaborators in the white house accessing national security secrets without proper clearance?

[SkyDaddy7]

14. SAME HERE!!!!!!

It is pathetic how this White House has no concern at all for the security of the nation only self preservation...And that includes that old crusty General everyone thought was going to play the role of ADULT!!

...And these are the same POS who spent all of 2016 crying about Hillary’s mishandling of classified info!!!

[Kensan]

15. In total agreement...

I find it appalling that we have come to accept the President can unilaterally, and on the spot, declassify information. So as soon as our current dimwit opened his mouth to Russian envoys and spilled highly classified information obtained by Israeli covert ops, it was deemed "declassified instantaneously" and no crime was committed.

I honestly don't care that the President wants something declassified. That person can still go through a proper procedure where multiple levels assess the risk of such action. One person shouldn't have that ability, especially when he/she is usually not an expert in how the information is obtained or aware of the potential unintended harm to sources that can result.

[politicaljunkie41910]

16. I don't know how the 'official' process works for the president to declassify information. I do know

that simply saying something that is classified, "as in the case of the Dotard spilling the Israeli's info" doesn't automatically declassify the information. People who work with classified info are taught how to act in the case of an inadvertent disclosure, and to report it to the appropriate authorities as soon as possible. What the Dotard did was pure and simple braggadocio on the Dotard's part, because he has the self control of a 3 year old. He was trying to impress his Russian comrades and proved why he can't be trusted with anything you don't want the entire world to know. I hold out hope, that the Intel Community has two sets of classified information; one for the Mickey Mouse brigade to include the Dotard's relatives and clueless political appointees who can't seem to get cleared, and one for the responsible grownups who take these matters seriously, as if our survival as a nation depends of it.

[LuckyCharms]

17. In addition to having the proper clearance, you also must have...

a "need to know".

In other words, someone who holds a Top Secret clearance cannot view any Top Secret document. The clearance holder has to demonstrate a need to know the information in question, before it can be viewed. A person with a Top Secret clearance who views specific Top Secret material without having a specific need to know that information is just as egregious as a person with no security clearance viewing it.

Source: Am former clearance holder.

[moondust]

18. 30-40 in WH still have interim clearances.

Appalling particularly because of the shady character of this WH. The Drumpf family and probably others there have never really known anything other than self-enrichment and self-aggrandizement. They're liable to gather up classified info and sell it to the highest bidder. 30-40 is quite a workload for NSA to keep tabs on.

[NightWatcher]

19. I conducted SSBI's and suitably investigations and this is not normal.

I worked the gwb transition. Those cases were given a special code name and were rushed through with an emphasis on speed over thoroughness. I quit not too long before the problems with contract background checks came to light.

[politicaljunkie41910]

20. I didn't work for a presidential campaign.

I worked for DoD for 27 years on some of the most secured programs. No one (not federal employees or contractor employees) gained access, to the secured facilities or to any classified information until their background investigation was completed and their security clearance received.