100 ON WHITE HOUSE STAFF LACK CLEARANCE
Dee Dee Myers
White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers  is among what  she  said are about 10 percent of the 1 044 White House staff members who have not completed the FBI clearance process that produces the first level of clearance for access to classified material.  Myers  said  she  has routine access to secret material.
Last week House Republicans raised the issue of White House officials failing to complete the clearance process.  Myers  acknowledged that  she  had not  due to the press of other business  and said that only one other senior official fit that category. That is Ricki Seidman  who has served as deputy communications director  as a counselor to the chief of staff and now as head of the scheduling operation.  She  did not return phone calls.
 Myers  said  in clarifying the numbers of those lacking clearances  that of the 125 most senior jobs at the White House  all but 15 have completed the FBI background checks and have security clearances. All National Security Council staff members fit that category   she  said.
But of the White House staff overall  which includes workers from secretaries in the social secretary's office to computer operators  a little more than 100 lack the clearances. "Most of them don't have a need to deal with secure documents "  Myers  said. But  she  could not estimate how many have access to such documents or could see them if they tried.
 Myers  said the slowness of the White House to hire its staff  the slowness of staff members to submit paperwork that launches the FBI background check and plain "procrastination" are the reasons for most of the clearance problems. "Things got off to a slow start "  she  said  but added that with congressional -- and press -- attention on the issue  the White House staff is making a strong effort to comply.
"By next week there will be almost no one left" who has not submitted paperwork to begin the process   she  said. Officials said White House lawyer William Kennedy and others repeatedly had urged non-complying officials to complete the clearance process  but the warning frequently was ignored. Lloyd Cutler  the new White House counsel  said yesterday he takes the problem seriously.
[TGT]is among what  [TGT]  said are about 10 percent of the 1 044 White House staff members who have not completed the FBI clearance process that produces the first level of clearance for access to classified material.  [TGT]said  [TGT]  has routine access to secret material.
Last week House Republicans raised the issue of White House officials failing to complete the clearance process.  [TGT]acknowledged that  [TGT]  had not  due to the press of other business  and said that only one other senior official fit that category. That is Ricki Seidman  who has served as deputy communications director  as a counselor to the chief of staff and now as head of the scheduling operation.  She  did not return phone calls.
 [TGT]said  in clarifying the numbers of those lacking clearances  that of the 125 most senior jobs at the White House  all but 15 have completed the FBI background checks and have security clearances. All National Security Council staff members fit that category   [TGT]  said.
But of the White House staff overall  which includes workers from secretaries in the social secretary's office to computer operators  a little more than 100 lack the clearances. "Most of them don't have a need to deal with secure documents "  [TGT]said. But  [TGT]  could not estimate how many have access to such documents or could see them if they tried.
 [TGT]said the slowness of the White House to hire its staff  the slowness of staff members to submit paperwork that launches the FBI background check and plain "procrastination" are the reasons for most of the clearance problems. "Things got off to a slow start "  she  said  but added that with congressional -- and press -- attention on the issue  the White House staff is making a strong effort to comply.
"By next week there will be almost no one left" who has not submitted paperwork to begin the process   she  said. Officials said White House lawyer William Kennedy and others repeatedly had urged non-complying officials to complete the clearance process  but the warning frequently was ignored. Lloyd Cutler  the new White House counsel  said yesterday he takes the problem seriously.