Contractor responsible for Snowden background check under investigation
- 06/20/13 04:00 PM ET
The contractor that conducted a background check of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden is under criminal investigation, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said Thursday.
McCaskill said at a Senate hearing Thursday that Falls Church, Va.-based USIS was being investigated by the Office of Personnel Management inspector general for a systematic failure to properly conduct its investigations.
McCaskill said that the USIS was under investigation for a period of time that included Snowden’s background check in 2011.
“This is a reminder that background investigations have real consequences for national security,” McCaskill said at the a joint Senate Homeland Security subcommittee hearing examining the security clearance process.
McCaskill said that the USIS conducts two-thirds of background checks run by contractors for the Office of Personnel Management, which conducts 90 percent of government background checks used to approve security clearances.
The contractor received $200 million from OPM for background checks last year, McCaskill said.
Patrick McFarland, the OPM inspector general, said that 18 individual background investigators have been criminally convicted of fabricating background checks since 2006.
There are also 36 pending cases against investigators, nine active cases and two where a defended pleaded or is expected soon to plead guilty.
McFarland said in his testimony his office does not have the financial resources to investigate all fabrication cases in a timely manner.
McFarland declined to comment on the status of the investigation into USIS because it is ongoing.
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/306925-contractor-that-did-snowden-background-check-under-investigation#ixzz2WnEYNcDu
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook
"Patrick McFarland, the OPM inspector general, said that 18 individual background investigators have been criminally convicted of fabricating background checks since 2006."
ReplyDeleteSo, why spend $200 million on a company that is obviously doing a poor job? This is like Wall Street. The crimes are done by the low-level guys, while the CEO pockets the money (it is a lot faster and cheaper to produced a fabricated background check than a real one). Like health insurance, the profit motive creates perverse incentives. Use the $200 million to take it in-house.
--David