Story perspectives

Trump intervenes to clear assistant Natalie Harp after lapse

8/21/2026

Center

Natalie Harp Bypasses Clearance

Executive assistant Natalie Harp worked in the White House for more than a year without a security clearance.
A former One America News anchor, Harp acts as President Donald Trump’s gatekeeper, supplying poll numbers and favorable news, and accesses his Truth Social account.
She traveled with President Donald Trump during a secret aircraft change in Turkey.
A national security official warned her access, and Senator Ossoff labeled her Trump’s “security blanket”.

Left

Harp Bypasses Clearance

Executive assistant Natalie Harp worked in the White House for more than a year without a security clearance.
Former White House ethics tsar Norm Eisen called the lapse an outrageous breach that left the administration vulnerable to intelligence risks.
White House counsel and Secret Service officials warned Harp’s unrestricted access threatened national-security protocols.
President Donald Trump intervened, prompting Harp to file the SF-86 and obtain a background clearance.

History

Historical Context

The June 17 1972 Watergate break-in by five Nixon campaign operatives sparked a cover-up and extensive wiretap transcripts that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in August 1974. The scandal prompted the 1978 Presidential Records Act and tighter security clearances. Today, Natalie Harp’s clearance-free year in Donald Trump’s White House echoes those historic breaches.

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Natalie Harp Bypasses Clearance

Executive assistant Natalie Harp worked in the White House for more than a year without a security clearance.
A former One America News anchor, Harp acts as President Donald Trump’s gatekeeper, supplying poll numbers and favorable news, and accesses his Truth Social account.
She traveled with President Donald Trump during a secret aircraft change in Turkey.
A national security official warned her access, and Senator Ossoff labeled her Trump’s “security blanket”.

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