Congresswoman Determined to Close Loophole that Allows Corrupt Politicians Access to Classified Information
One Congresswoman is determined to stop these criminals from obtaining access to sensitive information. Classified information leaks can pose grave harm to the United States, especially when foreign adversaries get their hands on it.
Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill has penned a bill to stop officials charged with national security violations from having access to classified material, according to a March 28 press release from her office.
Targets: Trump and Menendez
Two politicians who might be most affected by the new bill are former President Donald Trump and Senator Bob Menendez.
Republican Trump has been charged with a range of offenses, including federal conspiracy charges related to the 2020 election as well as an inquiry into his handling of classified documents, such as information related to the highly secretive U.S. nuclear program. Trump currently is charged with 91 criminal offenses, two of which are felonies.
Trump is also the presumptive Republican nominee in the 2024 Presidential race.
Democrat Senator Menendez is charged with acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Egypt, including taking bribes in exchange for endorsing policies favorable to Egypt in the course of his service in Congress and on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, according to the 44-page indictment against him.
Prosecutors are demanding the confiscation of assets they claim Menendez acquired as a result of his illegal work on behalf of a foreign power. These assets include his $1 million home in New Jersey, a 2019 Mercedes-Benz, nearly $500,000 in U.S. currency recovered at that property, gold bars, and an elliptical training machine, all of which were identified as proceeds of him allegedly illegally acting as a foreign agent during an FBI raid.
Both Trump and Menendez deny guilt in their respective cases.
What the Bill Would Do
Trump and Menendez are from opposing political parties. What they have in common are accusations of offenses compromising national security including providing information to foreign governments. Both have had access to classified government material that would harm the U.S. should it fall into the hands of a foreign adversary.
Sherrill’s bill would prohibit officeholders and candidates charged with certain crimes from accessing classified material. These offenses include obstructing official proceedings, unlawfully retaining or disclosing classified material, acting as a foreign agent, or otherwise compromising U.S. national security, according to the bill draft.
The bill would apply to political officeholders, including the President, Vice President, and Congressional Members. It would also apply to government employees, including those in the military, post office, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Loophole
Politicians like Trump and Menendez might have a loophole, though. Congress can waive the application of the law on and a particular individual with a simple majority from the House of Representatives in concert with a two-thirds majority from the Senate, according to the bill draft.
Who is Congresswoman Sherrill?
Representative Mikie Sherrill is a former Navy pilot and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She is a graduate of the Naval Academy, the London School of Economics, and Georgetown University, according to her official bio.
She is a Democrat and is on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.
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