Security – Sad!

Trump should have gotten rid of his businesses.

This was entirely predictable. People predicted this. The president’s refusal to divest from his personal businesses puts US national security at risk every single day. He has been warned, he is aware, and he does not care. https://t.co/ickrdxwHF0
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) April 2, 2019

Whose job is it to keep ppl from spying on @realdonaldtrump at Mar-a-Lago? Here, a club receptionist stepped in when others failed. https://t.co/QhY4yEuJMg
— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) April 3, 2019

The irony of this Mar A Lago Chinese spy story is how utterly inept she was…imagine how many competent state-level intel players have penetrated that place. Jesus. I wouldn't even use the SCIF there.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) April 3, 2019

New Miami Herald: Chinese woman carrying spyware to Mar-a-Lago was lured by massage parlor queen. https://t.co/ZceMv5RIVH
— julie k. brown (@jkbjournalist) April 2, 2019

Secret Service throwing management at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago under bus in statement on malware episode: “The Secret Service does not determine who is invited or welcome at Mar-a-Lago; this is the responsibility of the host entity.” H/T @nytmike
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 3, 2019

Key takeaway seems to be that Trump’s own golf club fouled this up. The Secret Service screened the woman for weapons, but the resort staff gave her the thumbs up.

"The Mar-a-Lago club management determines which members and guests are granted access to the property." https://t.co/s0nayRnX7O
— Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) April 3, 2019

There is a new Chinese controversy at Trump's Mar-a-Lago. And it's a doozy!https://t.co/mVieobhkT0
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) April 3, 2019

In her initial court appearance prosecutors described Zhang as "an extreme risk of flight" and said she had no connections to the US.

"She has no ties to the United States in general or to the Southern District of Florida in particular," the prosecutor said. https://t.co/ehJ5BckxNX
— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) April 3, 2019

If this had happened during Obama, there would be nothing else on television. https://t.co/ECjjubYC19
— Josh Mankiewicz (@JoshMankiewicz) April 3, 2019

Let this news about a woman with two Chinese passports and a device full of malware be a reminder that the Secret Service says it does not maintain visitor logs tracking who enters Mar-a-Lago https://t.co/rpn1vYXYwu
— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) April 2, 2019

“[Mar-a-Lago] is not Camp David… It’s not Kennebunkport, George H. W. Bush’s isolated coastal Maine house. It’s not the ranch in Texas. Because those are private homes. This is a club that’s open for business.” – @JonLemire w/ @NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/IchVr9YiBF
— Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) April 3, 2019

What a lack of concern for national security. I don’t want to hear any more from them about Hillary Clinton’s emails when they are doing crap like this.

NEW via @thamburger @rachaelbade @ashleyrparker: Jared Kushner identified as senior White House official whose security clearance was denied by career officials https://t.co/2duBC7nkpZ
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) April 3, 2019

This is insane. The background check process is a safeguard to prevent against undue foreign influence (like the electoral college, congressional oversight, and counterintelligence investigations) — this is like the Titanic when every compartment in the hull got breached https://t.co/I0MDbkm6dy
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) April 1, 2019

A president who’s personally compromised and subject to foreign govt blackmail isn’t likely to mind that his son-in-law and others in his inner circle are compromised too. In for a dime, in for a dollar. Perfectly logical. @RepCummings @RepAdamSchiff https://t.co/WVLgvQjImH
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) April 1, 2019

Cummings tonight told us it is “a million times worse” than Clinton emails.

“Because what you have here are people who literally have the top secrets of the world … and they have not been properly cleared … That should alarm each and every American” https://t.co/lXZztg9UYJ
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 2, 2019

BREAKING: A White House whistleblower says 25 security clearance denials were reversed during Trump administration, called Congress her “last hope” to stop practices she says put nation at risk. https://t.co/GewIf4XZjU
— Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) April 1, 2019

This is further evidence of how far reaching the effects of the Rob Porter scandal were. That episode put an intense level of scrutiny on how they handled clearances and led to Kelly's memo changing the process, which caused Kushner's clearance to be downgraded at the time. https://t.co/ruLYSrQSXi
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) April 1, 2019

This reporting indicates that more than one senior official @WhiteHouse knowingly increased the chances that foreign intel services could inappropriately access classified US intelligence – why? Did @POTUS know? https://t.co/IavrkscCwe
— Sam Vinograd (@sam_vinograd) April 1, 2019

The whistleblower who raised concerns about White House security clearances, Tricia Newbold, was suspended w/o pay for 2 weeks.

The stated reason?

Failure to follow a new policy to scan documents in separate pdf files instead of a single pdf file
— Tim Mak (@timkmak) April 1, 2019

Ms. Newbold "said she chose to speak to the Oversight Committee after attempts to raise concerns with her superiors and the White House counsel went nowhere, according to the committee staff’s account." https://t.co/XfV05hgrBe
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 1, 2019

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are among the 25, a source familiar with the list tells me. https://t.co/TOMzUqfDqX
— Alexander Marquardt (@MarquardtA) April 1, 2019

Yes, he filmed a video for the Russian equivalent of the @NRA. But more frightening, he’s also been on the payroll of an Iranian dissident group that the US Government considered a foreign terrorist organization until 2012. To the tune of tens of thousands over several years…. https://t.co/cSIm6CdbdL
— Ned Price (@nedprice) April 1, 2019

GOP's response to whistleblower:

-Emphasize only 4-5 overturned clearances were for "very serious" issues
-Suggest whistleblower is disgruntled
-Argue real people don't care

A far different tone than on Hillary Clinton's emails.https://t.co/bZIaoG9hLO
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) April 2, 2019

GOP memo: “only” four or five granted clearance over objections have “very serious” security issues.
reading that again https://t.co/BG9stEra3Y
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) April 1, 2019

This is not a good answer – any very serious security issue is a problem!

Category: Security

Chinese woman carried malware to Trump’s property

White House overrules concerns and gives security clearances