Why would people after they leave or fired from gov work still allowed their security clearances

The potus threatened to revoke clearance on several ex gov employees who have been using their clearance to lend credit to their options or to get monetary compensation for it..

a reply to: proteus33

I dont know how they get granted clearance but they probably can't get to any classified materials.
When an employee is fired their keys and cards are confiscated and passwords changed.
I would assume that would be the case here too.

originally posted by: proteus33
The potus threatened to revoke clearance on several ex gov employees who have been using their clearance to lend credit to their options or to get monetary compensation for it..

is that the reason or is it because those people were outspoken against him?

im not sure

They might have clearance through the private sector? Under contract or something?

When you leave a position in which you have a security clearance, you no longer "have" it, but you can brag about it and stick it on your resume so prospective employers will know that you could probably get it reinstated fairly easily. That doesn't mean that you continue to have access to secure material. You should not. This happened to my daughter who had a Top Secret SCI clearance because of her work in intelligence in the US Navy. She quit, got married, and moved to Germany where she got a job doing the same thing with a contractor, but she could not begin her duties officially until the clearance was reinstated. Even this took awhile and did not happen until an officer (her husband) complained to the right people and got it working again. I had a Secret Clearance myself and when I quit, it was gone even though it had not officially expired. You must be re-certified I think every five years.

originally posted by: proteus33
The potus threatened to revoke clearance on several ex gov employees who have been using their clearance to lend credit to their options or to get monetary compensation for it..

Because they are uniquely qualified and the government needs their input and advice. Former government department heads don't NEED security clearance. The government NEEDS them to have it for national security. Their clearence, as always, is "Need to Know".

a reply to: proteus33

I have a Homeland Security clearance of a certain class..the min. Im gone...none of it will work.

You can be non-existent before you get out to the parking lot to leave...

So, I don't get it either..????

Simply because many civilian jobs also require security clearances. Usually a security clearance is valid for 10 years after the initial investigation.

A Security clearance no matter the classification does not entitle one to know everything. You must have a need to know. It must be central to the job you are doing and crucial to it. Classified information is very compartmentalized so one section does not know it all.

originally posted by: DJMSN
Simply because many civilian jobs also require security clearances. Usually a security clearance is valid for 10 years after the initial investigation.

Five, I think, or at least it is five years before a re-check. At about the five year mark my daughter was re-investigated, meaning "they" (a contractor) sent someone out to ask the same old questions again. It was really a farce. The lady they sent was, IMO, inept, and she curtailed the visit because she was scared of my dog--not the avatar, but a cocker spaniel that never would hurt anyone. She asked questions such as, "Is she financially stable?" I lied through my teeth. Of course I was not privy to others that she talked to, but my impression of this 're-investigation' was not favorable. When I was investigated many years ago it was by the NIS: The Naval Investigative Service, and those guys were thorough! Talk about being under a microscope! They knew things about me I did not.

My mean and vicious dog, Moses, with his purple ball:

Because all those clearances have active and passive dates. My Top Secret clearance had 5 years passive after I got out, and my Secret had 10 years passive on it, some 15 years ago. Which means my Secret expired some 5 years ago.

Considering my clearances cost some $300,000 twenty years ago, I'm not surprised they keep them passive for a while. If you rejoin while they're passive, only those few years need to be evaluated, and not your whole life again.

Edit: Also, just because you have a clearance does not mean you have access to anything.

originally posted by: Kharron

Edit: Also, just because you have a clearance does not mean you have access to anything.

Correct. You can't even walk through a door without the right key card.

a reply to: schuyler

I think it is dependent on the type. Mine was Secret and was valid for 10. Top Secret SCI maybe 5 years. My first clearance was rather easy, never even heard from anyone they may have talked to but never would really have dealt with Secure info.

The second clearance I applied for was much more thorough and I was interviewed personally and several friends and family members as well. My job that time was dealing with certain information a lot more is the only reason I can figure it was tougher.

Financial stability is always a big one, any sort of outstanding public debt or even a trail is usually why clearances are denied. Its a big flag as they feel it makes someone an easy compromise target.

Very informative answers on this thread! Thanks.

Some higher up security advisers retain their clearance simply because future administrations will still call on them for advice and information, about matters that go on for decades. Several of the people Trump called out with this threat do not actually have a security clearance anymore, but it's not unusual for some to retain a clearance by the White House for years after they leave the job.

a reply to: schuyler

And with as far behind as they are on clearances, most lower level clearances are well beyond expiration date before there's any movement on renewing clearance.