Beyer, Conyers, House Democrats Introduce Security Clearance Review Act

July 28, 2017

Would authorize the FBI Director to revoke the security clearance of Senior White House staff

July 28, 2017 Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA) and John Conyers (D-MI), Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, today introduced the Security Clearance Review Act. The bill would authorize the Director of the FBI to revoke the security clearance of an employee of the Executive Office of the President if the Director deems such actions necessary to national security. Their legislation was cosponsored by 19 additional Representatives.

"Donald Trump's refusal to hold his senior staff accountable for their deceptions on Russia have sadly made this legislation necessary," said Rep. Beyer. "Despite all we have learned about his secret meetings with Russians, Jared Kushner apparently continues to hold his clearance. Jared Kushner's case and that of disgraced former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn make it clear that we need further protections when it comes to security clearances for the President's family and closest advisers. I thank my colleague, Ranking Member Conyers, for working with me to craft legislation to protect our national security."

"The Trump Administration has a very poor track record when it comes to their handling of classified information-and those are only incidents we know about," said Rep. Conyers. "Given that several senior officials appear to have failed to disclose their contacts with foreign governments on their applications for a security clearance, given that President Trump is related by marriage to at least one of these officials, and given that the President himself appears to have played fast and loose with sensitive intelligence, it is imperative that the authority to revoke these clearances extend beyond the President, to include the Director of the FBI."

The cosponsors of the bill are Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Norma Torres (D-CA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), David Cicilline (D-RI), Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA).

Text of the bill is available here.

Rep. Beyer has led congressional attempts to hold Jared Kushner accountable for "omitted" meetings with Russian officials from his SF-86 form since Kushner's failure to disclose those meetings was revealed. In April, Beyer and four other Representatives asked the Administration to suspend Jared Kushner's security clearance.

The FBI's response to that letter alerted the Representatives to the surprising fact that the President alone holds final authority to suspend or revoke employees of the Executive Office of the President.

Beyer subsequently led over 50 Members of Congress in calling for immediate revocation of Kushner's security clearance following revelations that the Special Prosecutor was investigating Kushner's meetings with Russian officials.

Earlier this month, Beyer led nearly two dozen Representatives seeking FBI scrutiny of White House adviser Ivanka Trump over possible omissions on her SF-86.

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Subcommittees

Constitution and Civil Justice (115th Congress)

Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security (116th Congress)

Issues: Government Oversight National Security