Move Fast And Break Things: The Trump Admin’s Approach To National Security Clearances

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 27: Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) gives his closing statement after Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for President Donald Trump, testified before the House Oversight Committee on Capit... WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 27: Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) gives his closing statement after Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for President Donald Trump, testified before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill February 27, 2019 in Washington, DC. Last year Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine for tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, unlawful excessive campaign contributions and lying to Congress as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MORE LESS

April 1, 2019 4:17 p.m.

In 2017, Trump administration officials fresh on the job took bold, scrappy steps to disrupt national security clearances, allowing the White House to pivot away from the staid old background check approach of the past and embrace a more agile foreign policy apparatus run by the likes of Jared Kushner and Sebastian Gorka.

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