This is truly jaw-dropping. Absolutely no one's doubting her credentials. A young Black woman already doing the job of acting National Cyber Director can't get formally Senate confirmed in that role because she has debt?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/15/kemba-walden-nomination-cyber-director/
@kevincollier
I don't know the details/politics of this specific case. But I know that #debt is a serious #risk factor for security #clearances. Ask any #intelligence agency.
@newstik @kevincollier Yeah, but you can still get the clearance as long as you make it clear you have debt. No one's without a weak spot, and if you're honest about yours they expect you'll come to them if someone tries to press your weak spot.
@ragnell@witches.live @newstik@social.heise.de @kevincollier@mastodon.social For clearances, it's more the nature of the debt and your ability to eventually clear that debt.
@ferricoxide @kevincollier @ragnell Makes sense. So if your debt is rising, it's a problem. (And if I understand the report correctly, this couple has been going deeper into debt to pay for better schooling for their children, which may continue for years to come, so the debt is likely not clearable for a considerable amount of time?)
@newstik@social.heise.de @kevincollier@mastodon.social @ragnell@witches.live
I can't speak to their rejection of her just the process that other entities that consider debt in their trust-evaluations for potential "hires". I just know that debt is seen as a point of leverage. Meaning that, if someone has too much debt, particularly the kind of "too much" that is difficult for them to clear without "hardship", someone could use that to either extort or entice them into revealing high-value information in exchange for under-the-table help. As such, people in a "too much debt" scenario are often declined positions of trust (much the same way landlords or mortgage companies will look at your income and credit reports and try to make a reasonable determination of whether you are likely able and willing to pay your liabilities on time).