GOP South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy is reportedly amping up pressure on the White House to answer questions about its vetting and security clearance process after controversies over staffers' access to top-secret information.
A spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee, which Gowdy heads, said Friday a five-paragraph letter sent to the panel by White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short was "inadequate" and that "we have communicated to the White House that we expect full compliance," Bloomberg reported.
The pressure comes amid questions over the vetting of top aide Rob Porter, who was forced to resign after allegations of domestic violence from two ex-wives surfaced.
White House chief of staff John Kelly subsequently reduced access to top-secret classified information for aides who lacked completed security clearances — including Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and adviser on issues including Israel-Palestinian peace talks.
Gowdy is also facing pressure from the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, to subpoena information about the security clearances the White House has refused to provide instead of "backing down," Bloomberg reported.
According to the reports, Gowdy sent letters Feb. 14 to the White House and FBI seeking information about Porter's security clearance problems and the FBI's role in adjudicating them.
But in a letter back to the committee, Short wrote only that "the White House has acted to improve its security clearance protocols, which it inherited from prior administrations," without providing more details, Bloomberg reported.
The committee is now pushing for a meeting between Gowdy and the White House "to discuss next steps," panel spokeswoman Amanda Gonzalez said, The Hill reported.
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