Background check chief has ‘never seen’ mistakes and omissions at level of Jared Kushner forms
(CNN) – The head of a government bureau responsible for clearing background checks told lawmakers Wednesday he has “never seen that level of mistakes” when asked about numerous omissions in Jared Kushner’s security clearance application.
Charles Phalen, the director of the National Background Investigations Bureau, a newly created division within the Office of Personnel Management, made the comment in response to a question during a House subcommittee oversight hearing.
Democrats have called on the White House to revoke security clearances granted to Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, and Ivanka Trump over reports of their use of personal email accounts and Kushner’s multiple updates to his security clearance questionnaire, known as SF-86, for failing initially to include meeting with foreign officials.
Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois asked Phalen, “can you recall if there has ever been an applicant having to submit four addenda detailing over 100 errors and omissions being able to maintain their security clearance once those errors and omission have been identified?”
Phalen said he has not seen “the breadth” of all applications “but I have never seen that level of mistakes.”
Earlier in the hearing, Phalen noted that OPM did not handle the fact checking of Kushner’s application. “I don’t know in the particular cases you’re talking about because we had no visibility in our organization into any of those activities. Those were done by other organizations.”
Kushner’s initial SF-86 form did not mention any foreign contacts, though he quickly supplemented it to indicate that he would provide that information. He updated the form in the spring, listing about 100 contacts, but did not mention the June 2016 meeting he attended with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, Donald Trump Jr., and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. He updated the SF-86 forms once more in June to include that meeting.
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"over 100 errors and omissions "
https://t.co/kUp4OgcIRj— The Editor Devil (@fairchild01) October 12, 2017
"I forgot to put several hundred important facts in my SF-86" actually is a thing.
A felony, to be specific.
— John Schindler (@20committee) October 13, 2017
It’s more than outrageous. Starting to feel like we’re living in Russia, where the govt & the ruling class do whatever they want & the people live with the corruption.
— Melissa Jo Peltier (@MelissaJPeltier) October 13, 2017
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