Strategist Says Natalie Harp 'Should Be Prosecuted' After Reports She Refused Security Clearance for Over a Year
Key Takeaways
- •White House aide Natalie Harp reportedly went more than a year without a security clearance until President Donald Trump personally intervened.
- •Despite lacking a clearance, Harp maintained close access to the president and at times relayed messages from foreign leaders to him, according to the reports.
- •Democratic strategist Mike Nellis said Harp should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law but predicted Trump's Justice Department would not act.
- •Harp, a former One America News Network commentator, has credited Trump for access to an experimental cancer treatment that she says saved her life.
- •Her brother, Preston Harp, called her attachment to the president 'unhealthy' and urged her to 'wake up' during an interview on CNN.
Reports that White House aide Natalie Harp refused to obtain a security clearance for more than a year — until President Donald Trump personally intervened — drew a sharp reaction on Thursday, with one Democratic strategist arguing she "should be held and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
According to reports, Harp had close access to the president despite the lapse and at times relayed messages from foreign leaders to him. Some have referred to her as Trump's "human binky." The reported lapse drew scrutiny because security clearances, granted after federal background investigations, are the standard mechanism for authorizing access to classified information, and White House personnel with routine proximity to the president ordinarily hold them.
Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist, said he was stunned by the reports and responded in a video posted to his YouTube channel, describing the situation as "bizarre."
"She should be held and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Nellis said. "We know that Donald Trump's [Department of Justice] isn't going to do that. Instead, they're going to keep harassing private citizens like yours truly, Don Lemon, and many others, which is ridiculous in and of itself."
Harp's bond with Trump long predates the clearance dispute. A former commentator at One America News Network, a conservative cable channel, she has said an experimental cancer treatment saved her life, and she has credited Trump for allowing the drug into the marketplace. Trump signed the federal Right to Try Act in May 2018, easing access to experimental therapies for patients with life-threatening conditions.
Reports have described Harp as infatuated with Trump since then, saying she has written him several intimate and personal letters and was once seen jumping into the trunk of a car to attend a court hearing with the president.
Her brother, Preston Harp, called his sister's infatuation with the president "unhealthy" and urged her to "wake up" in an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett this week.
Whether the matter prompts any official response remains unresolved, and Nellis himself predicted the Justice Department would not act.
Source: Raw Story
