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Donald Trump Reportedly Seeking Top Secret Security Clearance For His Adult Kids [Video/Updated]

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 19:03 PST, Nov 14, 2016

According to multiple sources, Donald Trump is trying to get top secret security clearances arranged for all of his adult children and his son-in-law, too. The news is incredibly disturbing to some as Donald Trump’s children have no official role in the government. In addition to being highly questionable from a national security standpoint (remember, Donald Trump spent much of his campaign berating Hillary Clinton for not taking her email security serious enough), it could spell huge conflicts of interests when it comes to Donald Trump’s business empire.

After all, as CNN reports, Donald Trump is already handing over control of his businesses to the very same adult children he wants to bestow with top secret security clearances.

“We are in the process of vetting various structures with the goal of the immediate transfer of management of The Trump Organization and its portfolio of businesses to Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump.”

Donald Trump and his desire to arrange top secret security clearances for his children could put the United States government in an unprecedented predicament. Is it possible that he will get away with it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLnpKbe5qIs

As CBS News reports, it appears as though the plans to get Donald Trump’s kids top secret clearance could be an attempt to circumvent federal nepotism rules, among other things. However, it could potentially happen if Trump plays his cards right, even if it appears highly unethical and perhaps even to be a national security threat and conflict of business interests.

Donald Trump cannot hire his children to work at the White House, at least not for pay. However, there’s nothing in the nepotism rules that prevent Trump from taking the slew of junior Trumps on as “unpaid national security advisers.” Reportedly, Donald Trump and his team have already gotten the ball rolling and have asked current White House advisers to work out the possibility and logistics of getting top secret security clearance for his adult children.

In order for the Trump kids to become national security advisers to President-elect Donald Trump, approval would have to be given by the White House. However, that may not be as farfetched as it appears on paper. In fact, once Donald Trump is sworn in as POTUS, he will have the authority to personally put in the requests for his own children.

If social media is any indication, most Americans are not onboard with the new Trump plan.

On potential hurdle for the Trump kids would be the bureaucratic security pamphlets (SF-86) and intensive background checks. However, presuming that all of Donald Trump’s adult progeny and his son-by-marriage make it through the screening process, they could have top secret national security clearance starting at the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Despite the fact that getting top secret security clearance for Donald Trump’s kids is something that apparently could be done, many are asking if it’s something that should be. After all, the Trump children are going to be in charge of (and likely turning a profit from) Donald Trump’s billion dollar empire while he’s acting as Commander-in-Chief. Would it really be just or fair for them to have access to top secret government information that could possibly give Trump’s companies an unfair advantage over the competition?

This is an especially poignant question given Donald Trump’s unapologetic status as a businessman, first and foremost. During his presidential campaign, Trump blurred the lines between candidate and salesman when he attempted to hawk Trump water, steaks and more on the campaign trail. As NBC News reports, Donald Trump’s new transition website is even being utilized to promote his property holdings, something that is raising more than a few eyebrows given its official intended function and.gov web address.

“He worked with his father for five years during which time his father often stated, ‘some of my best deals were made by my son, Donald…everything he touches seems to turn to gold.’

“The Trump organization owns some of the world’s top properties. Mr. Trump has been recognized for both his business accomplishments and his deep passion for the country. He has long been a devoted supporter of veterans’ causes, and has been honored by the Pentagon for his commitment to restoring the dignity of the New York City’s Veterans Day Parade after it had been neglected and poorly managed.”

Oddly, Ivanka, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. have all publicly claimed that they do not want official government roles, despite their father’s unexpected rise to the position of President-elect. Even so, they have already been officially named as part of Donald Trump’s so-called “transition team.” Indeed, that elevation of the Trump kids’ status happened last week, almost immediately after Donald Trump’s election night win.

Not surprisingly, not everyone is onboard with the Donald Trump plan to make his children unpaid national security advisers (no mention on what advice they may have to give that Trump can’t get from his own top secret security clearance and gaggle of paid advisers), and some are speaking out vehemently against the reported plan to elevate the younger Trump’s security clearance status.

As The Daily Beast reports, security clearance lawyer Bradley Moss has been highly critical of the Donald Trump top secret security clearance plan.

“This is why we created the nepotism law in the first place. Huge conflicts of interest. You can’t have your kids being advisers. It has to be properly qualified officials who are experts in the fields. It’s an issue of comfort for the President-elect because he’s relied on his children so much. But I don’t foresee a viable legal or ethical loophole or exception.”

Because much of Donald Trump’s meteoric rise to the presidency has been unorthodox and unprecedented, it’s unknown whether he will be able to pull off his top secret security plans for his kids. Moss claims that the whole “unpaid national security adviser” shtick simply won’t fly, no matter how the excuses or explanations for the plan are spun.

“Even if they came in as unpaid advisers, there’s no such thing as an informal government position that allows you to be sponsored for access. There’s no exception. There’s no loopholes.”

What do you think? Should Donald Trump be able to bend the top secret security clearance rules for his kids, or is this plan just nepotism wrapped in a colossal pile of conflicted interests?

[***Update: Following the widespread news that Donald Trump requested top secret security clearance for his adult children once he’s sworn in as POTUS, USA Today is reporting that Trump’s transition team is denying the claims. According to the transition team official, Donald Trump hasn’t requested the top secret security clearances for his children, nor is there a plan to do so in the future; Eric, Donald Jr., Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner have, however, been made part of the President-elect’s “Presidential Transition Team Executive Committee.***]

[Featured Image by lev radin/Shutterstock]

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