The White House is facing questions over how it handled the security clearance of Natalie Harp, one of President Donald Trump’s closest aides.
Të lidhura
None found
According to MS NOW, Harp, who serves as the American president’s executive assistant, worked at the White House for about a year without completing the usual procedures to obtain a security clearance. Two sources cited by the network said she had refused to complete the necessary paperwork, while the reasons for that decision have not been made public.
The situation was referred for review to the White House counsel’s office and, according to reports, Trump was also involved in the process. After the intervention, Harp submitted the documents for a federal background investigation and eventually received her security clearance.
Norm Eisen, a former White House ethics official, described the case as “shocking.”
“It is shocking that an aide who could have exposure to the nation’s most sensitive secrets is reported to have gone without a security clearance for so long,” Eisen said.
He said treating access to confidential information as a secondary matter creates a national security risk. He called on the administration to explain how the case was handled.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded by emphasizing that Harp has now received the relevant clearance.
“Natalie Harp has a security clearance, like everyone else, and she is a loyal and hardworking member of President Trump’s team,” Leavitt said.
The reports have also prompted reactions from former officials of previous administrations, who have questioned the procedure followed in vetting Harp.
David Axelrod, a former strategist and senior adviser to President Barack Obama, wrote on X that, if the published information is accurate, it represents a serious matter.
Richard Painter, who served as chief ethics counsel in the administration of George W. Bush, explained that the level of security clearance is not the same for every White House employee. According to him, the need for a particular clearance depends on the employee’s duties and the extent of their access to classified information.
However, Painter stressed that if Harp travels with Trump and remains near him during conversations in which classified information could be discussed, then a security clearance is essential.
The case has revived debate over how the Trump administration grants security clearances to people in the president’s inner circle.
Donald K. Sherman, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, compared the situation to the case of Jared Kushner during Trump’s first term. He said Kushner received his security clearance only after Trump personally intervened, even though intelligence officials had raised concerns.
Sherman described this approach to people close to the president as a “troubling trend,” particularly because of the sensitive information they may encounter.
Natalie Harp, 35, first became known as a cancer survivor and a supporter of Donald Trump. In 2020, she spoke at the Republican National Convention, and later joined the One America News Network.
She began working for Trump in 2022 and has frequently been seen at the president’s side ever since.
Reports say Harp has sent Trump letters expressing strong admiration, helped him prepare social media posts and been called the “human printer” because she provided the president with printed materials featuring positive media coverage.
CNN reported that in 2023, when Trump was due to appear in court in New York, Harp learned there was no room for her in the presidential motorcade. She reportedly climbed into the trunk of an SUV, insisting that Trump had personally requested her presence.
Last month, Harp was among a small group of people who accompanied Trump on a military aircraft. The president changed planes during a trip to Turkey following a suspected threat from Iran.
Earlier this week, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff mentioned Harp in a campaign speech. During the appearance, he criticized Trump and accused him of paying more attention to personal activities than to his responsibilities as president.
Those remarks prompted strong reactions and fueled widespread speculation on social media about the relationship between Harp and Trump.
Harp’s loyalty to the president is also described in the book “Regime Change,” published this year by The New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. According to the authors, she sent Trump letters expressing deep admiration and unconditional support.
