White House officials seeking security clearance are being asked if they could be blackmailed

Rob Porter with John Kelly.
(Image credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

It has been an awkward few weeks for the White House. When former Staff Secretary Rob Porter was publicly accused of physically and verbally abusing his ex-wives, the White House struggled to get its story straight, with Chief of Staff John Kelly claiming he demanded Porter's resignation within 40 minutes of understanding the severity of the allegations last week, while FBI Director Christopher Wray said he first briefed the White House on Porter in March 2017.

Concerns about how Porter lasted so long in the White House are multifaceted, although one branch is focused on national security — chiefly, that Porter had interim security clearance while his full clearance status was pending. Due to the abuse allegations against him, Porter was theoretically susceptible to blackmail, and therefore posed a national security threat.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.