Member of Violent White Supremacist Group Has Government Security Clearance: Report

A white supremacist who was reportedly caught on camera assaulting an African-American protester at the Unite the Right rally last year has government security clearance for his work with a prominent defense contractor, ProPublica and PBS Frontline reported. California law enforcement officials said Michael Miselis, 29, is a member of the Rise Above Movement, which espouses hate against Jews, Muslims and immigrants. He is also a systems engineer for Northrop Grumman and has clearance to work with the company’s aerospace division as part of a computer modeling and simulation group, employees told ProPublica and Frontline. In order to work there, he would have gone through a background check with the federal Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Defense. The Department and Northrop Grumman did not comment and Miselis did not answer questions about RAM. He is also a Ph.D student at the University of California, Los Angeles, although the university said he is technically on leave. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the RAM “operates like a street-fighting club,” and its members have been involved in violent skirmishes.