Top aide to Trump’s security adviser denied security clearance by CIA
A senior aide to Michael Flynn, National Security Adviser to United States President Donald Trump, will have to step down from his post because his application for a security clearance was rejected, say sources. Flynn had chosen Robin Townley, a former intelligence officer in the US Marine Corps, to serve as Senior Director for Africa on the National Security Council, a forum chaired by the president, which makes key decisions on domestic and foreign issues. Townley, who is described as “one of Flynn’s closest deputies”, held a top-secret security clearance for many years during his government career. But joining the National Security Council requires a so-called “sensitive compartmented information” clearance. This elite-status clearance allows designated individuals to access government programs and operations that are deemed highly sensitive.
According
to Politico, Townley’s application for a sensitive compartmented
information clearance was rejected last week. The news website cited two
anonymous sources “with direct knowledge of the situation”, who said
that Townley was informed on Friday that his application had been
rejected. The rejection came from the Central Intelligence Agency, said
Politico. One source told the website that the rejection had been met
with agreement by Mike Pompeo, President Trump’s appointee to head the
CIA. Townley cannot reapply for clearance, which means that he will have
to give up his National Security Council post. Flynn will have to
replace him.
The Politico report claims that Flynn and
his team were “infuriated” by the CIA’s decision, which is expected to
further-escalate tensions between the retired lieutenant-general and the
Intelligence Community. Flynn has been criticized for his allegedly
close connections to the administration of Russian President Vladimir
Putin. In 2015, he delivered a speech in Moscow in return for a fee, and
dined with Putin. Earlier this year, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation investigated a telephone conversation between Flynn and
Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s ambassador to the US, as part of a
counterintelligence probe. Last week, The Washington Post alleged
that Flynn and Kislyak discussed the topic of American economic
sanctions on Russia, and that Flynn told the Russian diplomat that they
would be lifted by the Trump administration.
The Politico report said that Flynn’s
team views the rejection of Townley’s security clearance application as
“a hit job from inside the CIA on Flynn and the people close to him”. It
also said that Flynn’s team believe that the Intelligence Community
feels “threatened by Flynn and his allies”. The website contacted the
National Security Council and the CIA but received no responses.
Labels
English Articles
Γράψτε τα δικά σας σχόλια
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια :
Θα σας παρακαλούσα να είστε κόσμιοι στους χαρακτηρισμούς σας, επειδή είναι δυνατόν επισκέπτες του ιστολογίου να είναι και ανήλικοι.
Τα σχόλια στα blogs υπάρχουν για να συνεισφέρουν οι αναγνώστες στο διάλογο. Η ευθύνη των σχολίων (αστική και ποινική) βαρύνει τους σχολιαστές.
Τα σχόλια θα εγκρίνονται μόνο όταν είναι σχετικά με το θέμα, δεν αναφέρουν προσωπικούς, προσβλητικούς χαρακτηρισμούς, καθώς επίσης και τα σχόλια που δεν περιέχουν συνδέσμους.
Επίσης, όταν μας αποστέλλονται κείμενα (μέσω σχολίων ή ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου), παρακαλείσθε να αναγράφετε τυχούσα πηγή τους σε περίπτωση που δεν είναι δικά σας. Ευχαριστούμε για την κατανόησή σας...