Kushner is still working without a permanent security clearance, according to an administration official familiar the process but not authorized to discuss it publicly. Interim clearances are routinely issued — some because of a massive government backlog of hundreds of thousands of security clearance reviews. A: The FBI doesn’t do every background investigation, but often is involved in cases requiring top security clearances. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the White House Personnel Security Office received the FBI’s information about the Porter investigation. A: According to the FBI, interim security clearances are granted in “exceptional circumstances” — when someone must perform official functions before authorities can complete a full background check and decide whether to issue a full security clearance.

Source: National Post February 14, 2018 00:14 UTC