Natalie Harp: Trump’s Top Aide Faces Scrutiny Over Security Clearance
- Edited by: Sagar Kar
- Updated Aug 21, 2026, 02:55 IST
Trump’s aide, Natalie Harp, reportedly went a full year without the standard security clearance required for her role, only completing the process after White House counsel and Trump himself intervened.
Natalie Harp.
Trump’s closest aide, Natalie Harp, is facing fresh scrutiny after a report revealed she went a full year working at the White House without the routine security clearance typically required for her role. Harp serves as executive assistant to the president, a position that puts her in close daily proximity to Trump.
According to reporting from the MS Now network, she declined to file the necessary paperwork for a security clearance for reasons that remain unclear. Two unnamed sources told MS Now that it wasn’t until the White House counsel’s office flagged the issue, and Trump himself got involved, that Harp finally completed the paperwork needed for a federal background investigation. She was granted clearance only after that intervention.
Former officials call the situation alarming
Norm Eisen, who previously served as the White House’s ethics czar, did not hold back in his reaction. He said it was shocking that an aide with potential access to some of the nation’s most sensitive secrets reportedly went without clearance for so long, calling it an outrageous way to handle national security. Eisen, who now co-founded the nonpartisan group Democracy Defenders Action, argued the situation reflects a broader pattern of incompetence within the administration, one he said prioritizes appeasing Trump over protecting the country’s interests and following established protocol.
Harp’s role and growing influence
Harp’s influence inside the White House has drawn attention this week after Democratic Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff referenced her by name. She has reportedly written the president adoring personal letters, assists him with social media posts, and has earned the nickname “the human printer” for regularly bringing him printouts of favorable news coverage.
News of Harp’s prolonged lack of clearance drew criticism from former White House officials on both sides of the political aisle. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on the report, stating that Harp has a security clearance like everyone else and describing her as a loyal and hardworking member of Trump’s team.
David Axelrod, who served as chief strategist and senior adviser to former President Obama, weighed in on X, saying that if the report is accurate and the person closest to the president on a daily basis lacks a security clearance and has refused to go through the process of obtaining one, it amounts to a deadly serious issue.
Nuance from a former Bush ethics lawyer
Richard Painter, who served as chief ethics lawyer under George W Bush, offered a more measured take. He explained that while all White House staff typically undergo a background investigation, only some require the additional step of a formal security clearance, depending on how much access they have to classified information. Painter said he wasn’t entirely certain what has been happening in Harp’s specific case, noting that much of her apparent work doesn’t seem tied to classified material.
Still, Painter emphasized that clearance becomes essential if Harp travels with the president aboard Air Force One in situations where she might overhear sensitive conversations. He pointed out that even if she isn’t involved in national security discussions herself, simply being present in the cabin while the president discusses something like a strike on Iran over the phone would require her to hold proper clearance.
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Sagar is a journalist with an interest primarily in geopolitics and American domestic politics. Before joining Times Now, he wrote for Republic and Sw… View More
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world
