MARION, S.C. — A former South Carolina state lawmaker and failed congressional candidate has been positioned on go away from her Pentagon job throughout a probe into allegations of an unauthorized launch of labeled info, in response to her legal professional.
Since early 2019, Katie Arrington has been working as chief info officer for the Acquisition and Sustainment Workplace on the Protection Division, overseeing a cybersecurity initiative.
On Might 11, she was knowledgeable that “her safety clearance for entry to labeled info is being suspended” as “a results of a reported Unauthorized Disclosure of Categorised Info and subsequent elimination of entry by the Nationwide Safety Company,” in response to a memo first reported by Bloomberg Information and confirmed Tuesday to The Related Press by Mark Zaid, Arrington’s legal professional.
“If this preliminary choice turns into last, you’ll not be eligible for entry to labeled info” or “assignments to duties which were designated nationwide safety delicate,” officers with the Workplace of the Below Secretary of Protection for Acquisition and Sustainment wrote within the memo, in response to Bloomberg.
On Tuesday, Zaid mentioned the Protection Counterintelligence and Safety Company — which conducts background investigations for the federal workforce — “has no lively investigation or adjudication actions” concerning Arrington. He accused safety officers of “withholding info,” now that six weeks have handed since her suspension.
“The conduct of NSA is denying Ms. Arrington her due course of and is harming the nationwide safety of america,” Zaid mentioned.
Any particular allegations towards Arrington haven’t been disclosed, and he or she stays on paid go away, in response to Zaid.
Arrington went to work on the Pentagon after a quick political profession in South Carolina. A Republican, she was elected to South Carolina’s state Home in 2016. Two years later, she received a GOP main over U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, who had returned to his congressional seat after serving two phrases as governor.
It was Sanford’s first-ever loss, with Arrington calling her opponent a “By no means Trumper” for his criticism of then-President Donald Trump.
Throughout that marketing campaign, Arrington referred to her cybersecurity and protection trade credentials as proof of her federal authorities expertise.
However Arrington narrowly misplaced the overall election to newcomer Joe Cunningham, a Democrat who flipped the district from pink to blue for the primary time in a long time. On the time, she blamed Sanford for her eventual loss and vowed to hunt the seat sooner or later.
Arrington didn’t return a textual content message searching for remark Tuesday evening, and her legal professional mentioned she wouldn’t be responding to inquiries on the matter.