Ignatius on Trump Admin Security Clearances: If True It’s a ‘Classic Example’ of ‘Executive Overreach’

EXCERPT:

IGNATIUS: "Joe, I think this is a classic example, if it’s proven to be true, of executive overreach and manipulation of decisions. The process of granting security clearances is one of the most serious and sensitive things that the government does. Anybody who has ever had to go through the process knows just how detailed it can be. And for there to be these cases that so troubled this career security official Trisha Newbold that she has decided to be a whistleblower, to come to Congress to talk about it, tells you the seriousness of it. In these cases, the allegation is that the normal review process led to questions or an outright refusal to grant a clearance that was overruled by the President and those closest to him. That is the kind of thing that drives the intelligence agencies crazy. For them, you know, this is the absolute foundation on which they do their business. They have to trust the people who receive the information. Lives have been risked to get this information. So I think we’re going to hear a lot more about this. The specific individuals who are going to be called by Elijah Cummings, whose documents have been requested, include Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, we wrote this morning about John Bolton and others on that list. But this is one that people should take very seriously."