Latest news with #securityclearance
Bloomberg
07-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
India Court Rejects Celebi's Plea on Loss of Security Clearance
An Indian court rejected Turkish ground handling firm Celebi Hava Servisi AS's plea against the revoking of its security clearance in India following Turkey's support of Pakistan during an armed conflict between the South Asian neighbors earlier this year. The single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court dismissed Celebi's petition against India's civil aviation security agency, arguing that it had not been given a fair hearing before the action. A detailed copy of the court judgment highlighting reasons for this dismissal will be available later.
BreakingNews.ie
01-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Garda Commissioner allegedly found Dublin Airport employee posed risk to State security
The Garda Commissioner purportedly upheld the withdrawal of a Dublin Airport technician's security clearance after finding his 'ability to facilitate nefarious activity' within the airport poses a security risk to the State, having regard for 'what is known' about his 'associates'. Christopher Doyle (34), an employee of Dublin Aerospace since June 2022, lost his airport security clearance last November after failing a Garda 'security intelligence check', rendering him unable to work. Advertisement In proceedings that came before Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty this week, Mr Doyle, of Claremont Lawns, Glasnevin, Dublin 11, wants the High Court to quash the Garda Commissioner's purported decision to dismiss his appeal of the failed security check. According to his court documents, Mr Doyle suspects that the failed security check arises from an incident in November last year, when he recorded another Dublin Aerospace employee pledging his support for Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch's 2024 general election campaign. Mr Doyle did not share the video to social media, but did send it to a number of his friends in a WhatsApp message. However, the video eventually surfaced on social media, where it was posted to various platforms by accounts connected to Mr Hutch's campaign. Mr Hutch, named in court as the head of the Hutch organised crime group, narrowly missed out on winning a seat in Dublin Central constituency last November. Advertisement The Garda Commissioner is ultimately responsible for undertaking security checks of Dublin Airport employees, according to Mr Doyle's court documents. In December, Mr Doyle appealed the decision to fail his security check. In April, Mr Doyle says the Garda Commissioner wrote to him, declining his appeal of the security clearance failure. 'In my view, given what is known in relation to a number of your associates, a risk potentially arises around your ability to facilitate nefarious activity within restricted areas of the airport thus creating what I consider to be an unacceptable security threat to Dublin Airport and by extension the State,' the commissioner stated, according to Mr Doyle's documents. Advertisement Mr Doyle says he has no criminal convictions and is not involved in criminality. He says that as far as he is aware, none of his family or associates have any links to criminality, and none are involved in any conduct that would justify withdrawing his security clearance. Remy Farrell SC, appearing with Eoin Sreenan BL for Mr Doyle, on Monday sought permission to bring proceedings seeking an order quashing the Garda Commissioner's appeal determination. It is Mr Doyle's case that the decision not to recommend him for security clearance is 'unreasonable, unlawful, irrational', and is in breach of his constitutional rights and fair procedure. Ms Justice Gearty gave permission to counsel to bring the proceedings against the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice, with Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) a notice party in the action. In March, Mr Doyle brought separate proceedings against DAA, the Minister for Justice and the Garda, seeking to compel the completion of his appeal of the failed security check. The proceedings were struck out after the Garda Commissioner communicated his decision on the appeal to Mr Doyle.
Irish Times
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Garda Commissioner allegedly found Dublin Airport employee posed risk to State security
The Garda Commissioner purportedly upheld the withdrawal of a Dublin Airport technician's security clearance after finding his 'ability to facilitate nefarious activity' within the airport poses a security risk to the State, having regard for 'what is known' about his 'associates'. Christopher Doyle (34), an employee of Dublin Aerospace since June 2022, lost his airport security clearance last November after failing a Garda 'security intelligence check', rendering him unable to work. In proceedings that came before Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty on Monday, Mr Doyle, of Claremont Lawns, Glasnevin, Dublin 11, wants the High Court to quash the Garda Commissioner's purported decision to dismiss his appeal of the failed security check. According to his court documents, Mr Doyle suspects the failed security check arises from an incident in November last year when he recorded another Dublin Aerospace employee pledging his support for Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch's 2024 general election campaign. READ MORE Mr Doyle did not share the video to social media but did send it to a number of his friends in a WhatsApp message. However, the video eventually surfaced on social media, where it was posted to various platforms by accounts connected to Mr Hutch's campaign. Mr Hutch, named in court as the head of the Hutch organised crime group, narrowly missed out on winning a seat in Dublin Central constituency last November. The Garda Commissioner is ultimately responsible for undertaking security checks of Dublin Airport employees, according to Mr Doyle's court documents. In December, Mr Doyle appealed the decision to fail his security check. In April, Mr Doyle said, the Garda Commissioner wrote to him, declining his appeal of the security clearance failure. 'In my view, given what is known in relation to a number of your associates, a risk potentially arises around your ability to facilitate nefarious activity within restricted areas of the airport, thus creating what I consider to be an unacceptable security threat to Dublin Airport and by extension the State,' the commissioner stated, according to Mr Doyle's documents. Mr Doyle said he has no criminal convictions and is not involved in criminality. He said that as far as he is aware, none of his family or associates have any links to criminality and none are involved in any conduct that would justify withdrawing his security clearance. Remy Farrell SC, appearing with Eoin Sreenan BL for Mr Doyle, on Monday sought permission to bring proceedings seeking an order quashing the Garda Commissioner's appeal determination. It is Mr Doyle's case that the decision not to recommend him for security clearance is 'unreasonable, unlawful, irrational', and is in breach of his constitutional rights and fair procedure. Ms Justice Gearty gave permission to counsel to bring the proceedings against the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice, with Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) a notice party in the action. In March, Mr Doyle brought separate proceedings against DAA, the Minister for Justice and the Garda, seeking to compel the completion of his appeal of the failed security check. The proceedings were struck out after the Garda Commissioner communicated his decision on the appeal to Mr Doyle.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's Vetting Official Hasn't Been Fully Vetted for His Own Security Clearance
President Donald Trump's man in charge of vetting staff has not yet been fully vetted himself for a security clearance five months into the second Trump administration. Sergio Gor is the director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. He is tasked with vetting thousands of executive branch employees. However, Gor has not yet submitted paperwork on his own background for a permanent clearance, according to a report from the New York Post which cited multiple sources. Gor's office is responsible for assessing candidates for approximately 4,000 political appointees including recruiting and screening candidates as well as dealing with security clearances and conflicts of interests. Some 1,600 of the positions require Senate confirmation. The powerful Trump aide has yet to turn in his Standard Form 86, or SF-86, the more than 100-page background investigation form required for a security clearance, three administration sources said. The extensive form covers citizenship, employment history, relatives, foreign contacts and travel, financial activities, drug use and more. Gor, 38, is reportedly from Malta. However, an official there could not confirm his birthplace, and Gor declined to provide it to the Post besides to say it was not Russia. Gor is a close MAGA ally of Trump and his son Don Jr. with whom he co-founded Winning Team Publishing in 2021. The top Trump aide also once worked as a booker for Fox News and as a spokesperson for Sen. Rand Paul. He also served as officiant and DJ at Matt Gaetz's wedding in 2021, according to Vanity Fair. While his work largely takes place behind the scenes at the White House, Gor made headlines earlier this month for being the person behind the move to withdraw Jared Isaacman's nomination to lead NASA and clashing with While he does not have a permanent security clearance, the Trump staffer does have an interim security clearance. Gor opposed the use of the SF-86 during the presidential transition and was concerned with Trump picks being weeded out by the 'deep state.' A source told the Post that he was 'actively working to convince everyone' that the form wasn't necessary and Trump could provide the clearance through executive authority. A White House official claimed Gor had completed the form and noted his interim clearance, which is given while background checks are completed. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused the Post of 'engaging in baseless gossip.' White House counsel David Warrington also told the Post that Gor is 'fully compliant with all applicable ethical and legal security clearance is active, any insinuation he doesn't maintain a clearance is false.'
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Pentagon investigator admits to faking dozens of Top Secret security clearance background checks
A federal contractor tasked with performing background checks on Department of Defense employees seeking high-level security clearances copped to submitting reams of bogus reports when she claimed to have thoroughly vetted candidates who, in fact, had not been properly checked out. Of 39 allegedly fraudulent investigations Nousheen Qureshi carried out over the course of more than a year for the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency, at least a half-dozen included fabricated 'interviews' with people who later said they had never even heard from her at all, according to a plea agreement obtained first by The Independent. 'The results of the background investigations conducted by [Qureshi] were used to determine whether to grant security clearances to individuals at various levels, including and up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information ('TS/SCI') access,' states the plea agreement, which was unsealed Tuesday in Santa Ana, California federal court. 'To conduct the investigations, [Qureshi] herself had TS/SCI clearance.' Qureshi, a Mission Viejo, California, resident, worked at the time for CACI International, a $7.7 billion Virginia-based conglomerate that bills itself as being 'ever vigilant in helping our customers meet their greatest challenges in national security.' Each of the 299 background investigations she turned in between July 2020 and August 2021 had to be re-worked by the agency, costing taxpayers nearly $250,000 extra, according to the plea agreement. Qureshi was subsequently hired by two other companies to run background checks for the Department of Homeland Security, doing more than 600 of them until her past finally came to light and she was removed from all DHS projects, the plea agreement says. Tucker Atkins, Qureshi's court-appointed lawyer, did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks there has been a tremendous increase in the number of security clearances issued by the federal government, according to attorney Dan Meyer, a former U.S. Navy officer who is now a national security partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Tully Rinckey, PLLC. As the system has become more and more overloaded, investigators have seen their workloads double, triple or even quadruple to as many as 40 cases a week, Meyer told The Independent. Along with this, the incentive to cut corners has also increased, said Meyer. 'And once they start falsifying documents, there's a greater incentive to falsify documents because you've got to hide it once you've done it,' he said. Further, Meyer pointed out, the Trump administration has publicly undercut the importance of rigorous security clearances, where he said sends a message out to the rank-and-file, 'who start to think, 'Hey, maybe this isn't so important.'' A sham background report such as those generated by Qureshi can lead to extremely serious counterintelligence issues, according to Seamus Hughes, a senior researcher at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center, a partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha and DHS. 'Intelligence officials are trusted with some of the nation's most important secrets. Fabricating background interviews and gaming the process has the potential to put those secrets at serious risk,' Hughes told The Independent. 'There's been an increasing number of criminal cases recently against government employees with high-level security clearances leaking classified information. A thorough security clearance review is paramount to preventing such disclosures.' The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency is responsible for ensuring U.S. government job candidates, as well as those already on the payroll, can be trusted with, among other things, classified information. As 'America's gatekeeper,' the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency conducts over two million background checks each year on people applying for both civilian and military roles, and reinvestigates current employees' security clearances at regular intervals. Qureshi began working at CACI in June 2018, and was assigned to the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency security clearance investigations, according to her plea agreement. 'In that capacity, [Qureshi] conducted background investigations for the Department of Defense,' the plea agreement says. 'The investigations included applicants for DoD employment, DoD employee background reinvestigations, and investigations for security clearances of defense contractors' employees.' Qureshi was responsible for interviewing friends, acquaintances, and associates of those under investigation, and writing reports on her findings, according to the plea filing. It says the clearances in question went all the way up to the TS/SCI level, which allows individuals with a demonstrated 'need to know' to access highly classified materials. To ensure security clearance investigations are being done properly, the agency's Quality Management Oversight Group randomly selects reports to review and re-contacts the individuals interviewed with written questionnaires about the process, the plea explains. In June 2021, amid a routine probe into one of Qureshi's reports, the agency heard from 'J.F.,' a person she had spoken to as part of background investigation into a Top Secret security clearance candidate identified in the plea filing as 'M.C.' 'J.F.'s response to DCSA stated that he provided information to [Qureshi] about M.C.'s drug use,' the plea states. '[Qureshi's] report of J.F.'s interview did not contain this derogatory information.' It also says that Qureshi 'willfully falsely reported that she had interviewed M.C.'s landlord, S.R., and that S.R. stated that M.C. had lived at a Lancaster, California residence alone.' However, the plea filing goes on, Qureshi 'well knew' that she had not interviewed S.R., and S.R. 'had not stated M.C. lived alone.' 'In a subsequent interview with S.R., DCIS Special Agents learned that M.C. lived at the Lancaster residence with four roommates and that two rooms at the residence were used as vacation rentals,' the plea continues, adding that Qureshi's 'false statements were material to the decisions' that followed by DCSA as to granting M.C. a security clearance. The plea agreement, which does not specify if M.C.'s clearance was ultimately approved or not, says CACI then pulled a sample of Qureshi's other background investigations, to recheck her work. Of the cases CACI reviewed, it came to find out that 'six individuals claimed they had not been interviewed' at all by Qureshi, who, the plea maintains, 'submitted six separate reports stating that she had interviewed those individuals and provided factual narratives of their conversations.' As a result, the plea says CACI fired Qureshi in August 2021. Once she was gone, the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency 'reworked the 299 background investigations' Qureshi had conducted over the prior year, for which she had spoken to 1,025 sources, according to the plea. In all, it says special agents discovered no fewer than 39 false reports, and pegs the cost of redoing them at $240,306.04. Two months later, Qureshi hired on as an investigator at a pair of other federal contractors, Omniplex World Services Corporation and ADC Ltd., the plea filing states. It says the two companies had contracts with DHS to perform background checks on prospective employees applying for jobs at the agency. Between late October 2021 and February 2024, when the DHS Office of Inspector General connected the dots and had Qureshi removed from all assignments connected to the agency, she conducted 608 background investigations on applicants to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to the plea. Messages seeking comment sent on Wednesday to CACI, Omniplex and ADC went unanswered. In 2020, another CACI employee conducting security clearance investigations for DCSA pleaded guilty to fabricating nearly 70 reports in 11 months. Two years later, a Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency staffer pleaded guilty to falsifying reports as part of security clearance investigations. In 2024, another agency investigator pleaded guilty to near-identical charges, admitting to having made up more than 40 security clearance interviews that never actually took place. Qureshi pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements, a charge that carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In Qureshi's case, however, prosecutors are recommending she be sentenced to probation and home detention. Qureshi is due to appear in court on June 16.
