GOP candidate's security clearance becomes issue in SC

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (AP) — After losing a high-profile bid for a South Carolina congressional seat in 2018, Republican Katie Arrington took a job at the Defense Department, where she focused on securing military supply chains, ensuring thousands of companies that contract with the federal government were implementing cybersecurity protocols.

Arrington's civil servant work as chief information officer for the Acquisition and Sustainment Office was in line with what she characterizes as her longtime passion for cybersecurity and defense. But as she seeks to revive her political career, Arrington's time at the Pentagon is becoming a central issue in her campaign.

Freshman GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, whom Arrington hopes to defeat in South Carolina's June 14 primary, is calling on Arrington to take a lie detector test about why she lost access to classified information. A Mace-funded, anti-Arrington website, meanwhile, has sections labeled “Leaks Classified Information” and "Busted: Loses Her Security Clearance.”

The dispute is likely to surface at a debate between the two on Monday.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-candidates-security-clearance-becomes-122751325.html

[bottomofthehill]

1. This creates an interesting issue.

Members of Congress are granted access to classified information based on their status as elected members of congress. They do not actually hold a Clearance, they just have access to the material. If this candidate had her clearance revoked, there is a big problem with her having that access.