Democracy Rests on Trust #2: National Secrets

A felony conviction generally precludes getting a top secret security clearance. That doesn’t affect presidents, vice-presidents, members of Congress, or Supreme Court justices, none of whom require a clearance. As the U.S. Constitution spells out the qualifications for those offices, no criteria can be added except by constitutional amendment.

Access to classified information is still limited by “need to know,” such as membership on a relevant Senate or House committee. Sharing such information with unauthorized people is still forbidden. Staff still need clearances and must sign nondisclosure agreements.

Background checks and clearances recall the Vietnam era, when my boyfriend/husband served in the Army Security Agency. Though warned to expect an in-person visit (“Don’t say, he’s a great guy, we used to go out and steal hubcaps together”), I received a form to fill out. As I recall, it attested not only his honesty but also a lack of skeletons that might expose him to blackmail. Later, before we married, I had to list all my relatives who were not U.S. citizens. If someone ruled that Canadian aunts, uncles, and cousins posed a risk of divided loyalties, we’d face a tough decision. Losing his top secret clearance would mean a job reclassification, probably to light weapons infantry.

​As for the elected officials who don’t need clearances in the first place, tradition says their election shows voters deem them trustworthy. That’s why trust is, or should be, among the most important factors in deciding how to vote. Our national security may depend on it.