Edward Snowden and America's security-clearance vetting problem

The firm that conducted the background check to re-up Snowden's top secret clearance is under investigation for falsifying records, and it's not alone

A banner supporting Edward Snowden is displayed in Hong Kong's business district, June 20.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Whatever you think about NSA leaker Edward Snowden and his outlook on government secrets, it's pretty clear that from a human-resources perspective, he was a terrible hire. Just weeks after starting his job at Booz Allen Hamilton, Snowden took medical leave — then fled the country with top secret documents he had pilfered while on Booz Allen's dime (and, by extension, the taxpayers').

Lots of questions remain about Snowden's hiring: Like how a relatively low-level IT contractor like Snowden got access to such sensitive information, why Booz Allen put a guy with apparently a high school education in such a position, at $122,000 a year, and whether the other 480,000 government contractors with top-secret clearance pose a similar threat.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.