Jeremiah Smith: “the hearing the Armed Services Committee held April 6 on the issue of security clearances revealed a shocking lack of…”

“the hearing the Armed Services Committee held April 6 on the issue of security clearances revealed a shocking lack of concern within DOD for protecting our national security secrets. As a result of that hearing, I proposed an amendment. My amendment, again, is simple. It would prevent DOD from granting security clearances to those who are under indictment for, or have been convicted in a court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding 1 year. It would also disallow a clearance for anyone who is a fugitive from justice; is an unlawful user of, or addicted to any controlled substance; has been adjudicated as a mental defective; or has been dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces. As I said on the floor earlier, in an investigative series by USA Today, it was reported that DOHA, the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals, granted clearances routinely to felons, including a murderer, individuals with chronic alcohol and drug abuse problems, a pedophile and an exhibitionist, and a convicted cocaine dealer.”