Before he shot and killed 12 people in the Navy Yard rampage, Aaron Alexis had a string of arrests spanning years. That’s led many to wonder how he could’ve received and retained the security clearance that enabled him to enter the secure building in the first place. On Thursday, the company that performed the background check on Alexis in 2007 and the agency that oversaw the work issued separate statements in response to questions about the shooting. Here they are in their entirety: “The security clearance process begins when an agency identifies a person who will require eligibility for access…
Browsing: background checks
The Obama administration took to the Senate yesterday to tout the progress they’ve made — and held — on speeding up background checks and adjudications for security clearances. A lot of people were there — the heads of the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget, the Director of National Intelligence, a GAO expert, and a high-ranking Defense official. But one key demographic was noticeably absent: The average federal employee and contractor who has to wait — sometimes for months — for his clearance. That’s where you come in. We’d like to hear from you if…
Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik was sentenced today to 48 months in prison. Kerik pleaded guilty to eight felonies, including lying to the White House as he was being considered to be secretary of the Homeland Security Department. According to the Associated Press: Kerik was Giuliani’s police commissioner when New York City was attacked, and he was praised worldwide for his leadership. At Giuliani’s urging, he was nominated to the top Homeland Security post in 2004. It was the peak of his fast-rising career — as corruption allegations began to mount. Kerik said in court that while being…