ACCESS DENIED

Third White House Official Steps Down After Denied Full Clearance

George David Banks was denied security clearance “over his past marijuana use.”

A senior official of the National Economic Council has resigned after learning that he would not be eligible for a permanent security clearance, making him the third White House official to leave in recent weeks. George David Banks served as president for international energy and environmental policy since February 2017, and told Politico that the White House counsel denied his application for permanent clearance Tuesday “over his past marijuana use.” White House staff secretary Rob Porter and speechwriter David Sorensen both resigned recently over abuse allegations that they both deny. Three dozen other White House employees are currently working on interim clearances as scrutiny of the administration builds regarding the number of high level officials working on interim clearances.