"We are concerned over the apparent low and inconsistent threshold the Trump White House uses for obtaining an interim security clearance," reads the letter sent by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (left), Mazie Hirono (right) and Elizabeth Warren. | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo Democrats request investigation into White House security clearance process

Democratic senators on Thursday requested an intelligence community investigation into security clearance procedures under President Donald Trump, after a White House aide who had not gotten full clearance announced he would resign over domestic abuse allegations.

Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) sent a letter to Wayne Stone, the acting inspector general for the intelligence community, asking for information about how the administration determines who can access classified information.


“Members of the Senate have sent several requests for information to the administration seeking clarification on the security clearance review process," the group said, adding that it had gotten no responses. "We are concerned over the apparent low and inconsistent threshold the Trump White House uses for obtaining an interim security clearance.”

The request follows the announcement by Rob Porter, the White House staff secretary, that he would resign after accusations of domestic violence by his two ex-wives became public this week. Chief of staff John Kelly reportedly knew that Porter had been denied a full security clearance, which the White House believed was because of a 2010 protective order that had been obtained by one of Porter's ex-wives.

Sign up here for POLITICO Huddle A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The Democrats' letter also said the White House had not disclosed whether Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, had gotten a permanent security clearance.

The letter also requested information related to the effectiveness of the security clearance process.

