Security clearances don’t determine whom a president can trust – they reveal risks the president may not know

A report that one of Trump’s aides went a year without routine vetting raises a question a former CIA executive knows well: What is that process for?

By: Brian O'Neill, Georgia Institute of Technology, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: September 11, 2026

Words: 1,138

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

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By Brian O'Neill, Georgia Institute of Technology

One of President Donald Trump’s closest aides, Natalie Harp, worked in the White House for more than a year without completing the normal security clearance process, according to a recent MS Now report.

Harp may have been among the personnel granted interim Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information access at the beginning of Trump’s second term. Trump authorized such clearances in January 2025 for up to six …

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