The Stagger Litany

The Kenneth A. Kesselring site in West Milton, NY, was originally developed for testing early nuclear reactor designs. In 1950, the Site changed its focus to testing of propulsion systems for the Navy and subsequently to train Naval personnel to operate those systems.

In the 1980s, I managed the Albany office of a large, national environmental consulting company. Naturally, the nearby Kesselring site was one of our target clients - government facilities are notoriously cavalier about their stewardship of the environment and present many lucrative opportunities for cleanup and restoration. During our marketing meetings, we would salivate over the prospect of landing a big, fat government contract for the site.

The problem was security.  Even though the facility was used just for training, because it was a part of the national nuclear defense system, a high-level security clearance was needed to even enter the grounds. But we were determined to get a foot in the door, so we strategized on how to get a coveted security clearance.

After much internal deliberation, the company decided to nominate one employee for clearance. I wanted it to be me, but I was deemed to be too young (mid 30s), too single, too carefree. Instead, they chose Tom, an older, straight-arrow family man. I was disappointed not to have been picked but I understood the logic.

To get the clearance, the candidate had to be vetted by the FBI and convince them he was unlikely to a tempted by bribery or be subjected to blackmail. The concern was they didn't want someone on the facility who'd be tempted to sell secrets, photographs, reports, etc. to foreign agents. They were concerned about debt, gambling debts in particular, but anyone deeply in debt might feel more pressure to sell out than a more financially stable candidate. They were concerned about moral character - a man (or woman) who slept around or hired prostitutes was an easy target for blackmailers. And of course, they didn't want anyone with a criminal record, anyone convicted of a crime, or even anyone who'd been suspected but never convicted of crimes. 

They demanded a candidate who was secure, stable, law-abiding, and honest, and if the FBI had any doubts that a candidate was all of those, they wouldn't be allowed on the Kesselring site. If anyone in our office met those qualifications, it would have been Tom.

The FBI came to our office  and interviewed several employees, including me, about him. It wasn't a polygraph test, but it may as well have been - I sat across the meeting-room table from a stone-faced, unsmiling agent, who maintained constant, nonwavering eye contact as we spoke. It was quite intimidating. Did Tom ever talk about gambling or complain about financial problems? "No, sir." Did I have knowledge of any extramarital affairs or of Tom seeing women other than his wife? "No, sir." Did he ever express any communist sympathies or talk about radical politics? "No, sir." The agent looked me dead in the eye during all of those "No, sirs."

"How would you describe Mr. S_____?," he asked. "Straight-arrow family man," I answered. "Thank you. We're done," he said without a smile or any notable expression on his face.

Tom finally did get the clearance, but an opportunity to do anything with it never materialized. We were never invited to bid on a contract, to visit the site, or use Tom's clearance in any way.

I bring this all up now because of Donald Trump. I can't imagine him ever getting that clearance. Does he have any large debts? Well, he has a crumbling financial operation that's been convicted of fraud. He's been hit with several multi-million suits and settlements, and he well might be tempted to sell secrets or access to relieve himself of some of those debts. He's had frequent contacts with high-level Russian operatives, once even meeting privately with Vladamir Putin himself with no one but a translator present (has anyone checked on that translator recently to see if she's fallen out of a window lately?).

He's a convicted felon on 34 counts. He's on trial, or at least indicted, on numerous other charges. Many of his business associates and political advisors are convicted criminals, and some are even currently doing time in prison.

He's on his third wife, and his felony convictions stem from the coverup of an extramarital affair he had with a porn star while the third wife was pregnant.  He's been accused, many times, of sexual misconduct ranging from groping to assault to rape. Prior to his life in politics, he was a well-known playboy and an associate of the notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.  

No, Donald Trump is far too compromised to ever get a clearance to even so much as enter the Kenneth A. Kesselring site in West Milton, NY. Why would we make this man our Commander in Chief, give him our nuclear launch codes, and entrust him with our most sensitive nuclear and military secrets?

That would be insane.