Civil Rights Icon John Lewis: Snowden’s Actions In Line With Gandhi, Thoreau

[MADem]

76. I've had to fill out those forms. I know how detailed and precise they are.

I've had to renew clearances. I had to start the whole frickin' process over after a jerk named Walker caused EVERYONE's clearance to be pulled many decades ago; and this was before computers, where all your info could be saved and you'd just have to update the form. It's an onerous process.

As I've said elsewhere, I know a guy who was pushed into retirement for calling a Master's a PhD.

The agency that failed to re-vet his paperwork is in very hot water.

It didn't worry anyone at the NSA at all--at first. But Snowden knew it was only a matter of time before they would be worried.


See this article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/us-usa-security-snowden-idUSBRE95K01J20130621

Hiring screeners at Booz Allen Hamilton, a contractor for the National Security Agency, found possible discrepancies in a resume submitted by Edward Snowden, but the company still employed him, a source with detailed knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

Snowden, who disclosed top secret documents about U.S. surveillance of telephone and Internet data after leaving his job as a systems administrator at an NSA facility in Hawaii, was hired this spring after he convinced his screeners that his description of his education was truthful, said the source, who is not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

If BHA told him there was a problem with his clearance (and they did), the SOP is to send the documents back through the system to be re-vetted. Snowden assured them that all was well, in essence, he doubled down on his lies, so they weren't worried, initially--mistakes do happen and they are usually resolved IF the person is telling the truth, which Snowden was not.

But he HAD to know the SOP for resolving a discrepancy after a decade in public service, the clock was ticking against him the minute he obtained the knowledge that his employers were aware of a problem. Very quickly, he scooped up some shit, did a bunk and ran; he was only employed there for three months, and actually only worked for four weeks before he was hauling ass out of there.

And if you can find anyone who bullshitted on their security clearance forms, and got caught, and got hired again at the same clearance levels, I'll be very surprised indeed. Lying--particularly when it happens multiple times-- and getting caught is the kiss of death. Some things can be forgiven if you don't understand what they are asking for, if you're young and clueless, if you screwed up and then made it right, or if you simply "forgot"-- but one's education level is not the kind of thing one forgets. And it's pretty hard to "remember" degrees that you've never received.

It was only a matter of time before the Big Old "Clearance Denied" report came back to bite him in the ass.

See some redacted clearance denials and approvals at this link:

http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/doha/industrial/2013.html

...Applicant is a 32-year-old employee of a defense contractor. She has unresolved financial problems, and she has been consistently untruthful about her education since 2003. Clearance is denied. CASE NO: 11-11000.h1

...The Applicant lied to the Government in a questionnaire and in an interview concerning his education, job history and arrest history. He has not shown sufficient rehabilitation. Clearance is denied. CASE NO: 10-02156.h1

...Applicant has dual citizenship with the United States and Israel. His wife and adult children are U.S. citizens living in the United States. For nearly 40 years, he and distant family members have owned an undeveloped piece of property in Israel. He renewed his long-expired Israeli passport in 2006 and uses it to travel in and out of Israel. He owns two properties worth $56,000,000 in Israel, and he started an education foundation in Israel. He has not renounced his Israeli citizenship nor has he surrendered or destroyed his Israeli passport. He intentionally falsified his e-QIP and intentionally provided false information to the security clearance investigator. He has not mitigated the Government's security concerns about his foreign influence, foreign preference, and personal conduct. Eligibility for a security clearance is denied. CASE NO: 09-00268.h1 DATE: 10/06/2010

...Security concerns were raised under personal conduct because Applicant provided false information on two security clearance applications and a resume pertaining to his educational background. Specifically, Applicant listed that he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in August 2002, when he had not earned a degree. His explanations and the information provided in support of the whole person factors do not mitigate the concerns raised due to his deliberate falsifications. Clearance is denied.