U.S. Congress to take action against White House in security clearance probe

A U.S. house of Representatives panel signaled Monday it would take actions against the white house in a Security-clearance related probe, after a whistleblower shed light to more evidence.

"The committee now plans to proceed with compulsory process and begin authorizing subpoenas, starting at tomorrow's business meeting," The house Committee on Oversight and Reform said in a letter to Pat Cipollone, counsel to the U.S. president.

The letter was issued after a white house whistleblower told the oversight committee in an interview that the white house had "granted Security clearances or eligibility to access national Security information despite recommendations to deny their applications."

The whistleblower is identified as Tricia Newbold, an 18-year veteran at the Personnel Security Office. Newbold told the interview that Security clearance applications for white house officials "were not always adjudicated in the best interest of national Security," according to the letter.

The letter stated that the committee intends to interview Carl Kline, a Pentagon official who was the white house personnel Security director during the first two years of the Trump administration, and a number of other current and former white house officials.

"The committee respects the president's authority to grant Security clearances. However, the white house must respect Congress' co-equal and independent authority to investigate who has been given access to our nation's secrets, how they obtained that access, the extent to which national Security has been compromised," the letter said.

The house Oversight Committee, led by Democrat lawmaker Elijah Cummings, in February launched the investigation to review whether the white house adhered to proper procedure when granting Security clearances to individuals. The committee said the white house had not complied with its investigations.

Republican lawmakers charged that the effort was a partisan attack on the white house and Cipollone has argued that the power to deny or grant Security clearances "belongs exclusively" to the executive branch.