The Trump administration last fall imposed a ban on issuing new interim security clearances — a practice that has recently come under fire amid revelations that multiple senior White House aides had been working without permanent clearance.
Politico reported Tuesday night that the Office of Management and Budget emailed senior officials within the administration on November 7, 2017 about the practice, saying the White House personnel security office advised against it.
The personnel security office was cited in White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' Tuesday explanation as to why the administration allowed ex-staff secretary Rob Porter, whose domestic abuse allegations were known to the FBI on his clearance request, to continue with his interim security clearance.
The report also noted that employees granted the temporary clearance prior to the rule change — like Porter and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner — would be allowed to keep it. It's currently unclear what prompted the OMB announcement or if the rule is still in effect.
