USIS, the Falls Church government contractor that handled the background check for National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, said Thursday that it also vetted Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis for his secret-level clearance in 2007.
The company, which is under criminal investigation over whether it misled the government about the thoroughness of its background checks, said earlier this week that it had not handled Alexis’s case.
USIS spokesman Ray Howell said the company got new information Thursday.
“Today we were informed that in 2007, USIS conducted a background check of Aaron Alexis” for the Office of Personnel Management, Howell said in a statement. “We are contractually prohibited from retaining case information gathered as part of the background checks we conduct for OPM and therefore are unable to comment further on the nature or scope of this or any other background check.”
USIS, which was spun off from the federal government in the 1990s, has become the largest private provider of government background checks. With 7,000 employees, the company handles about 45 percent of all background checks for the OPM, congressional staffers say.
Despite the investigation, there was no indication that USIS did anything improper when it vetted Alexis.
Seriously? But the guy had two different episodes where he misused a firearm, how could that NOT have raised red flags?
Government officials said this week that the 2007 background check uncovered an incident in which Alexis shot out the tires of a car.
The 2004 incident was characterized as “malicious mischief.” Two other run-ins with law enforcement and reports of more serious mental-health issues occurred years after the initial background check.
You know if firing a weapon within city limits which results in property damage, but could have also resulted in the taking of life, is classified as "malicious mischief" I think that almost says more about our acceptance of gun violence than it does about the vetting provided by this agency.
However the fact that both Snowden and Alexis were vetted by the same contractor makes me think that this whole background check thing needs to be performed by government agencies and NOT a third party. Especially this third party.
However it is also impossible to give the Navy a pass since the incident in 2010, where he fired shots inside his apartment in response to noisy neighbors, and which resulted in his "honorable" discharge from the Navy, happened on their watch. As did the Newport police report that he was "hearing voices."
I don't know, perhaps the new criteria should be that if somebody demonstrates a tendency to fire a weapon indiscriminately when upset or angry, they DON'T get a job with the government.
I'm just saying.
I'm a small business owner. More than 50% of my income is directly subcontracted by a gov. agency.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I don't think that every task should be contracted out because private business can do it better, faster and more cheaply. In most cases, such as this one with proper background checks for sensitive jobs/tasks, private business can't.
The day after the horrific DC Navy Yard massacre I told you about Thomas Hoshko, CEO of the defense contractor 'The Experts' who hired assailant Aaron Alexis, and the gargantuan yacht he uses to wine and dine defense officials. Now we learn that just over 24 hours after the attack, Hoshko emailed Navy Secretary Ray Mabus offering his firm's services to help get a handle on the Navy's security problems.
ReplyDeletehttp://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/triple-ply-wow
A little more than 24 hours after an IT contractor gunned down a dozen workers at the Washington Navy Yard, the CEO of the company he worked for sent an email to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus saying he has the experience to help the military improve its security.
The email from The Experts chief Thomas Hoshko, which included descriptions of his background and expertise, stunned some Navy leaders still reeling from the shooting rampage Monday that left 13 people dead, including the gunman, former Navy reservist Aaron Alexis.
And it fueled concern over what defense officials believe may have been failures by the company to alert the military about Alexis' apparent mental health problems.
In the email, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Hoshko said he was "dramatically" affected by the incident and "my heart and prayers go out to the families and friends of those innocent victims." But the email quickly moves on, as Hoshko lays out his work experience and offers his services, saying he is "confident that I can provide valuable input and solutions to the process that will provide better security for the military, contractors and civilians."
Navy officials confirmed that email was sent to Mabus, but they declined to characterize its contents.
Florida-based The Experts declined to comment.
Revelation of the email comes as the Navy and the Defense Department launch a series of short- and long-term reviews into Alexis' Navy service history, the Pentagon's security clearance procedures, overall safety at defense installations around the world and the responsibilities that contractors have in reviewing their workers and notifying the military about potential problems.
One of the first reviews ordered by Mabus into the nearly four years of Alexis' troubled Navy career, is almost complete, according to the Navy. Mabus had asked for a review of Alexis' service record to determine if his behavioral problems while in the Navy should have affected his ability to keep his security clearance.
A secret security clearance is good for 10 years. It carries over, even if a worker leaves the military and joins a private company, as long as the gap between the two jobs is not more than two years. As a result, Alexis' clearance level was simply verified when he went to work for The Experts, but no additional research or checks were done.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/news/gunman-s-employer-sought-navy-consulting-work
I’m sure USIS is severely understaffed; to plump up that bottom line, ya know.
ReplyDelete"However it is also impossible to give the Navy a pass..."
ReplyDeleteYep! The contractor relied on the Navy's determination that this guy deserved to keep his security clearance. Still, I think it's time to move background check investigation back to government employees. Private contractors almost always push to complete their work quickly, minimizing employee costs, and, thus, increasing their profit. (Said, sadly, from first-hand experience.)
https://twitter.com/MittRomney/status/381154281673355264/photo/1
ReplyDeleteThis happens When assholes privatize our military (think blackwater too) and run amuck bc regulations and procedures impedes on their already inflated greedy bottomline.
ReplyDeleteGop, it only gets worse. Your ideals are wrong and deadly. KMSA
I think the federal government should vet its own. That process should never have been privatized and Snowden and Alexis are perfect examples of why certain processes should not be in the private domain. I do not think that the private sector quite understands the requirements of certain areas of government work.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom