America First Policy Institute Outlines Plan to Hold National Security Officials Accountable

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) released a new policy proposal to hold national security officials accountable for misusing security clearances. This proposal is intended to address the recent trend of individuals misusing the inherent trust and confidentiality that accompanies a national security clearance and the perceived knowledge they gain from access to classified information for political purposes.

The proposed policy encourages the creation of ethical standards and professional rules of conduct for anyone holding a national security clearance and access to the FISA court.

“We are proposing the creation of professional standards, similar to the Hatch Act, that would guide the conduct of anyone who has or has previously held a security clearance,” said Fred Fleitz, former Chief of Staff of the National Security Council, who worked for 25 years for the CIA, DIA, State Department, and House Intelligence Committee and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Center for American Security at AFPI. “The Hatch Act prohibits government employees from using their official position for political purposes. Those with national security credentials should equally not be permitted to misuse the trust that comes with national security status or access to classified information, which is not available to the public for review, for political or non-governmental purposes.”

Two years ago, 51 former national security officials, for strictly partisan purposes, intentionally misled the American people about the Hunter Biden laptop investigation. Additionally, they hid behind the credibility conferred through their security clearances and perceived access to classified information to shield their misstatements from the public. Testimony has shown that this group’s main purpose was to impact the 2020 presidential election, regardless of the facts.

The new professional standards that AFPI has proposed would:

• Bar current and former national security officials from 1) using their positions or security clearances to promote partisan political agendas, 2) targeting individuals or groups for investigations for political reasons, 3) withholding or granting security clearances for political reasons, or 4) providing or withholding classified information or notifications of investigations to officials or candidates for political reasons.
• Strictly prohibit retaliation against national security personnel who resist or object to prohibited political activities.
• Prohibit former national security officers from misrepresenting politically motivated criticisms of U.S. officials or political candidates as judgments based on their national security professions. Similarly, this proposal would bar former national security officers from misrepresenting politically motivated national security assessments based on their national security experience. Any of the prohibited actions committed by former intelligence officers to influence the outcome of a U.S. election would be considered an especially serious ethical violation.

Alleged violations of this new code of conduct would be investigated by a bipartisan review board consisting of six individuals holding five-year terms. These Senate-confirmed positions could ultimately make recommendations of punishments to the government agency holding the clearance of those individuals, which could include censure, revocation of security clearances, and termination of government employees.

AFPI recently sent a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (OH) and House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer (KY) urging congressional hearings regarding the misuse of security clearances and the weaponization of government for political purposes against the America First movement.

Click here to read the letter to Chairmen Jordan and Comer.

Click here to read the full policy brief.