2016 Postmortem

panader0

(25,816 posts) Wed May 25, 2016, 11:08 PM May 2016

If HRC loses her security clearance, can she be President?

At the very bare minimum, the email scandal has exposed gross incompetence on her part.
There are many more details to come out, but we know at least that many people had access
to classified State emails that shouldn't have. So if she is not indicted, should she lose her
clearance? Wouldn't that make being President impossible?

5 replies

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If HRC loses her security clearance, can she be President? (Original Post) panader0 May 2016 OP

Once elected she is the ultimate decider on security clearances, there is no higher authority. braddy May 2016 #1

And as the nominee? Could she still get intel briefings? Barack_America May 2016 #2

I was afraid you would ask that, that one is much tougher to answer. braddy May 2016 #5

You might find this document of interest... PoliticAverse May 2016 #3

Thanks. I'll have to save that reading for the morning--getting too sleepy now. panader0 May 2016 #4

braddy

(3,585 posts)

1. Once elected she is the ultimate decider on security clearances, there is no higher authority.

Reply to panader0 (Original post)

Wed May 25, 2016, 11:13 PM

May 2016

There is no one who can take a president's security clearance, or forbid it to him, as long as he is still in office.

Barack_America

(28,876 posts)

2. And as the nominee? Could she still get intel briefings?

Reply to braddy (Reply #1)

Wed May 25, 2016, 11:16 PM

May 2016

It's an interesting question.

Woe be onto the party foolish enough to nominate such a candidate.

braddy

(3,585 posts)

5. I was afraid you would ask that, that one is much tougher to answer.

Reply to Barack_America (Reply #2)

Wed May 25, 2016, 11:32 PM

May 2016

I know that once elected, the president is head of the executive branch, which means she is the ultimate decider on all security issues of something being classified, and who gets clearances.

During the primary I speculate that it would be a huge, almost unfathomable presidential (and political) decision to block normal treatment of one of the major party nominees, it would tear the country apart for a sitting president George W. Bush to treat nominee Obama as a national security risk and block him from his rightful place as the Democratic Party's nominee for president, and the same for Obama doing it to a Trump or Senator Cruz, and I imagine for him to do it to Hillary if she is the party's nominee.

Perhaps the legislative and Judicial branch would have to be brought in to help make such a monumental national decision, and what party would allow a candidate in that serious of a position to remain the nominee in the first place?

I think that practically speaking, security clearances/security risks do not count when it comes to the two major party's nominee and the vote of the American people.

The majority vote has a weight of it's own in this question.

PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts)

3. You might find this document of interest...

Reply to panader0 (Original post)

Wed May 25, 2016, 11:19 PM

May 2016

The Protection of Classified Information:
The Legal Framework
Congressional Research Service

(.pdf) https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/RS21900.pdf

panader0

(25,816 posts)

4. Thanks. I'll have to save that reading for the morning--getting too sleepy now.