Former National Security Agency contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden on Monday ribbed the White House for its extensive security clearance backlog.
“I got a security clearance faster than half of this White House,” Snowden tweeted.
CNN reported on Friday that many top staffers at the White House, including President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, do not have full security clearances and are operating with interim clearances as their reviews continue.
The White House has attributed the backlog of clearances to the review process from the FBI and White House Office of Security.
Among those working with an interim security clearance was staff secretary Rob Porter, who departed the White House last week after news reports detailing allegations he had abused his ex-wives.
Trump, prior to his political career, slammed Snowden regularly on Twitter.
Snowden, whose clearance allowed him access to highly sensitive information, provided journalists with a trove of classified information in 2013 with the stated intention of highlighting the practices of the US surveillance state, a move that sparked international debate over US spying practices as well as one over Snowden’s disclosure of the information itself.
Snowden now resides in Moscow, where he has been granted asylum and can avoid returning to the US.
