Post: #1

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014...r-trouble/

USIS, the firm that vetted Snowden and Navy Yard shooter Alexis, faces heat over border contract
Jim McElhatton ∙ The Washington Times ∙ July 22, 2014

For the first time in its 20-year history, a federal contracting firm is filing a bid protest to overturn the $190 million award of a border security contract to a rival accused of fraud by the Justice Department. Contractor USIS, which vetted NSA leaker Edward Snowden and Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis, won the contract over Virginia-based FCi Federal last month, prompting a bipartisan backlash and demands from lawmakers that Department of Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson turn over records on the contract.

Post: #2

Unless I missed something somewhere, Snowden did not have a previous background. The Navy yard shooter, unless I missed something, was an omega simp, tricking bread to pinays and got played, and then went on a killing spree for reasons like Elliot Rogers did. I think he had been disciplined before while in the Navy over something but I cannot recall what it was exactly.

In fact, wasn't Snowden a Booz Allen Hamilton employee? That's no a joke. You have to have security clearance for them. I used to work down a hallway from with those guys a long time ago. I could never touch their stuff because I did not have any security clearances. I do know that Snowden had a Top Secret one. That is very hard to get. If someone is capable of getting one of those, it will always surprise you if they turn rogue.

With that Navy shooter it showed the problem of "Hey I had security clearances while in the service so I should automatically get this job!!! Don't mind the dumb shit I did in the past that doesn't matter!"

With Snowden, he never picked up a gun to fight for the US and never killed a kid in baghdad to protect his squad. Those guys shut the fuck over anything seedy. They don't snitch because they think it protects their buddies. Constitution be damned and all that. If they had only hired former military for the NSA shit, we still would not know about the spying. This is why the founding fathers insisted upon "Civilian leadership" and not Military Leadership deciding upon war matters. Then the NSA, stupidly put civilians in high positions while trying to operate like the military. Idiots the whole lot of them.

Post: #3

So far, no security clearance background investigation has been able to read minds.

All these companies do is hire retired federal agents and ex-military counterintelligence to interview people and check records. There are several security clearance databases, and they don't overlap. DOD, DOS, OPM, OGAs.

Snowden in particular is a bad example, because he had a patriotic record (apparently broke his leg in the Army basic parachute course) and he appears to be motivated by devotion to the Constitution.

There are a lot more weird people with TS clearances.

Post: #4

I don't get the thread title....

Post: #5

only now are they starting to go back through the ranks and start weeding out people on seemingly inconsequential shit that they had previously overlooked.

Post: #6

(07-23-2014 12:38 PM)Sp5 Wrote:  So far, no security clearance background investigation has been able to read minds.

All these companies do is hire retired federal agents and ex-military counterintelligence to interview people and check records. There are several security clearance databases, and they don't overlap. DOD, DOS, OPM, OGAs.

Snowden in particular is a bad example, because he had a patriotic record (apparently broke his leg in the Army basic parachute course) and he appears to be motivated by devotion to the Constitution.

There are a lot more weird people with TS clearances.

Ah, so he was in the service!? Interesting. Was it enough to share in on the fucked up experiences in the theater? That's the difference. Those guys almost never snitch, no matter how fucked up it is. They try to deal with shit in house if possible or just drop it to keep peace within the ranks.

Devotion to the constitution? LOL. Thank God for his sacrifice, for better or worse. I won't hate on him for what he did.

Wait a sec, I thought all those clearance databases were now linked as of two years ago? I could be wrong. Or was it the terror database lists I am thinking about?

Post: #7

(07-23-2014 02:02 PM)silent_scope Wrote:  only now are they starting to go back through the ranks and start weeding out people on seemingly inconsequential shit that they had previously overlooked.

They actually started a few weeks after Snowden's leaks. I guess now the infighting is spreading and spilling over into congressional spaces and getting more visible. Like Sp5 said, these companies and the govt. have been doing it this way for a very long time. The chickens are just coming to roost. Also Obama is the most aggressive president against leakers and whistleblowers of all time. It's like a personal grudge with him. He puts lots of pressure on the dems to follow suit too.

Post: #8

http://news.yahoo.com/federal-contractor...20735.html

Federal Contractor Being Blamed For Six Month Immigration Fingerprint Backlog

A controversial federal contractor is being blamed for taking as long as six months to collect fingerprints needed to proceed with immigration court cases.

The company, which also administered the background checks for National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden and Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis, was hired two years ago to collect biometric information, including fingerprints, for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The information is used to determine immigration status, benefits, and to determine whether immigrants have a criminal background.

“Why is it taking so long?” San Antonio immigration judge Anibal Martinez asked immigration lawyer Linda Brandmiller in a recent hearing when told of the backlog, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

“I have no idea,” Brandmiller said. “The problem is with both detained and nondetained [immigrant cases].”

According to the paper, immigration lawyers say that wait times have tripled in recent months — an increase that is also likely due in part to a heavy influx of illegal immigrants from Central America.

According to Brandmiller, until recently biometrics results were provided after a little over a month. Her clients’ background checks are still sometimes conducted in that time frame, but some wait more than six months, she told the San Antonio Express-News.

“When we are reporting to the judge and all he is waiting on is a few details like this, it makes it difficult,” Brandmiller said.

Such delays drag down the process of determining status for immigrants.

“It’s one more time we have to set another court hearing,” Dana Marks, an immigration judge and president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, told the Express-News. “It’s inconvenient for the people involved and inconvenient for the court,” she said, adding that the backlog leads to more continuances, “which isn’t an ideal solution.”

In 2012, the Department of Homeland Security awarded USIS the five-year, $889 million contract to conduct the immigration checks.

Besides its failure to catch Snowden and Alexis, USIS has been hammered amid allegations that it failed to complete 665,000 background checks in order to cut costs.

In a letter sent last month, U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings and U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn expressed concern that, despite its numerous failing, the Department of Homeland Security still awarded USIS a separate $190 million support services contract with U.S. Customs and Immigration Services.

On top of those errors, USIS suffered a cyber attack in which Department of Homeland Security personnel’s personal information was put at risk.

Post: #9

USIS - only one vowel from being ISIS.

THE US IS FUNDING THE MILITANT FUNDAMENTALISTS IN IRAQ IT'S A CONSPIRACY.

Post: #10

(08-21-2014 10:19 AM)JayMillz Wrote:  http://news.yahoo.com/federal-contractor...20735.html

Federal Contractor Being Blamed For Six Month Immigration Fingerprint Backlog

A controversial federal contractor is being blamed for taking as long as six months to collect fingerprints needed to proceed with immigration court cases.

The company, which also administered the background checks for National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden and Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis, was hired two years ago to collect biometric information, including fingerprints, for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The information is used to determine immigration status, benefits, and to determine whether immigrants have a criminal background.

“Why is it taking so long?” San Antonio immigration judge Anibal Martinez asked immigration lawyer Linda Brandmiller in a recent hearing when told of the backlog, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

“I have no idea,” Brandmiller said. “The problem is with both detained and nondetained [immigrant cases].”

According to the paper, immigration lawyers say that wait times have tripled in recent months — an increase that is also likely due in part to a heavy influx of illegal immigrants from Central America.

According to Brandmiller, until recently biometrics results were provided after a little over a month. Her clients’ background checks are still sometimes conducted in that time frame, but some wait more than six months, she told the San Antonio Express-News.

“When we are reporting to the judge and all he is waiting on is a few details like this, it makes it difficult,” Brandmiller said.

Such delays drag down the process of determining status for immigrants.

“It’s one more time we have to set another court hearing,” Dana Marks, an immigration judge and president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, told the Express-News. “It’s inconvenient for the people involved and inconvenient for the court,” she said, adding that the backlog leads to more continuances, “which isn’t an ideal solution.”

In 2012, the Department of Homeland Security awarded USIS the five-year, $889 million contract to conduct the immigration checks.

Besides its failure to catch Snowden and Alexis, USIS has been hammered amid allegations that it failed to complete 665,000 background checks in order to cut costs.

In a letter sent last month, U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings and U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn expressed concern that, despite its numerous failing, the Department of Homeland Security still awarded USIS a separate $190 million support services contract with U.S. Customs and Immigration Services.

On top of those errors, USIS suffered a cyber attack in which Department of Homeland Security personnel’s personal information was put at risk.

Um...well, I suppose if the grant is big enough, he can find a new hooker every day...it'll have to be the really sad, non-picky hookers, though - but that's good, the grant dollars will go farther with that sort.

Post: #11

(07-23-2014 04:02 PM)TravelerKai Wrote:  

(07-23-2014 02:02 PM)silent_scope Wrote:  only now are they starting to go back through the ranks and start weeding out people on seemingly inconsequential shit that they had previously overlooked.

They actually started a few weeks after Snowden's leaks. I guess now the infighting is spreading and spilling over into congressional spaces and getting more visible. Like Sp5 said, these companies and the govt. have been doing it this way for a very long time. The chickens are just coming to roost. Also Obama is the most aggressive president against leakers and whistleblowers of all time. It's like a personal grudge with him. He puts lots of pressure on the dems to follow suit too.

It is a bit of an overstatement to say that Obama is the most aggressive president ever to go after whistleblowers. It is more correct to say that the Obama administration is the most aggressive administration ever.

Obama has his panel of security advisors that tell him what to do and he is like, "Okay boss. right away." The idea that Obama understands the context or importance of the whistleblowers that the DOJ goes after is pretty slim. All he knows is that he is told whistleblower XYZ needs to be shut up and he just does it.

Post: #12

(08-23-2014 11:06 AM)Truckn Wrote:  

(07-23-2014 04:02 PM)TravelerKai Wrote:  

(07-23-2014 02:02 PM)silent_scope Wrote:  only now are they starting to go back through the ranks and start weeding out people on seemingly inconsequential shit that they had previously overlooked.

They actually started a few weeks after Snowden's leaks. I guess now the infighting is spreading and spilling over into congressional spaces and getting more visible. Like Sp5 said, these companies and the govt. have been doing it this way for a very long time. The chickens are just coming to roost. Also Obama is the most aggressive president against leakers and whistleblowers of all time. It's like a personal grudge with him. He puts lots of pressure on the dems to follow suit too.

It is a bit of an overstatement to say that Obama is the most aggressive president ever to go after whistleblowers. It is more correct to say that the Obama administration is the most aggressive administration ever.

Obama has his panel of security advisors that tell him what to do and he is like, "Okay boss. right away." The idea that Obama understands the context or importance of the whistleblowers that the DOJ goes after is pretty slim. All he knows is that he is told whistleblower XYZ needs to be shut up and he just does it.

He fully understands, being a lawyer who taught Constitutional law. The problem is that he's made the political judgment to ride with the security establishment over the interests of transparency and freedom.