Researcher for Snowden journos leaves White House, denied security clearance
Privacy researcher Ashkan Soltani, who worked on several Washington Post stories regarding the Snowden leaks, has been barred from working at the White House.
In December, Soltani was hired to be senior adviser to White House Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith. On Friday, Soltani said on Twitter that to his disappointment, the White House Office of Personnel Security denied him a security authorization to work there.
"I'm told this is something that happens from time to time and I won't speculate on the reasons," said Soltani in a statement. "I do want to say that I am proud of my work, I passed the mandatory drug screening some time ago, and the FBI background check was still underway. There was also no allegation that it was based on the quality or integrity of my work."
