Having a Sexual Relationship with a Foreign National Housekeeper: Clearance Denied
Many government contractors live and work all over the world in areas where family members cannot go. Locals are hired to take care of basic necessities such as food services, laundry, and housecleaning. Naturally, it is tempting to engage in extracurricular activities, as well. However, if you hold a security clearance you should think twice before engaging in sexual relations with a local foreign national, especially if you are married. A DoD contractor found this out when the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals upheld the decision to deny his clearance based upon his sexual relationship with his housekeeper/cook while he worked in Kyrgyzstan for a year, his failure to disclose the relationship to his employer, and his lack of candor about it during the hearing.
Foreign Influence and Personal Conduct – A Messy Adjudicative Combination
The judge opined that the applicant in this case had not mitigated the foreign influence and personal conduct concerns that arose from his personal sexual relationship with the local foreign national, especially since he had continued to communicate with her via Skype or text messaging after he had returned to the US, even after finally disclosing the relationship to his wife. Additionally, the applicant had given the housekeeper money, claiming they were gifts. Aggravating his conduct was the fact that he knew that is was a security concern because other employees he worked with had been in trouble for doing the same thing.
I guess the best advice to give here is to keep relationships professional, especially if you are married. If you do suffer in a momentary lapse in judgment, admit it. Then take the steps necessary to break it off cleanly instead of continuing to fan the flames.
This to me is odd. How did Bill Clinton remain president and have his clearance then?
How did Timothy Geithner become Treasury Secretary (and thus head of the IRS) despite failing to pay taxes? Rules like this are for us little people.
It is ok for a married US citizen with secret level security clearance marry a foreign national? Renewed his security clearance months after the wedding overseas and lie in his SF-86 about the marriage abroad?
Nope, definitely not okay! A change in marital status is a mandatory reporting requirement for a clearance holder, and throw in the fact that she is a foreign national? Houston- we have a problem!
Yes she is a foreign national. He recently also had an affair in another country overseas with their household helper which is another foreign national but the company he works for seem to be ok with it.
Rules for the little people. Sounds like a book someone should write.
I wrote Yale an email but they wouldn’t answer me because I was not a student there. I’d like to know where they got their information from. Would anyone like to email them and try to find out? They won’t answer little old me.
As President of the US you do not need a clearance.