Summary
A 68-year-old married woman was denied a security clearance due to concerns under Guideline B (Foreign Influence), Guideline C (Foreign Preference), and Guideline E (Personal Conduct). The applicant had significant ties to Israel, including three sons who are dual U.S./Israeli citizens residing there, to whom she provides approximately $6,000 monthly financial support. She also owns an apartment in Israel valued at about $250,000, which generates rental income, and maintains an Israeli checking account for property management. The applicant travels to Israel approximately twice a year for two-week visits and hosts an Israeli army major overnight about once a month.
Further concerns arose from her failure to disclose an Israeli passport on her 2002 security clearance application, despite having obtained one after emigrating to Israel in 1985 and returning to the U.S. in 1991. Although this passport expired in 1996 and she renounced her Israeli citizenship in 2003, the non-disclosure was a factor.
While the judge found that the applicant mitigated the foreign preference concern, the foreign influence concern remained unmitigated due to her ongoing connections to Israel. Consequently, her security clearance was denied.
Why the Applicant Prevailed
- The applicant renounced her Israeli citizenship and returned her expired passport, mitigating the foreign preference concern.
Conditions Referenced
- DC 1appliedAn Immediate Family Member, or Person to Whom the Individual Has Close Ties of Affection or Obligation, Is a Citizen Of, or Resident or Present In, a Foreign Country.
- DC 2appliedSharing Living Quarters with a Person or Persons, Regardless of Their Citizenship Status, If the Potential for Adverse Foreign Influence or Duress Exists.
- DC 6appliedConduct Which May Make the Individual Vulnerable to Coercion, Exploitation, or Pressure by a Foreign Government.
- DC 8appliedA Substantial Financial Interest in a Country, or in Any Foreign-owned or Operated Business That Could Make the Individual Vulnerable to Foreign Influence.
- MC 4appliedIndividual Has Expressed a Willingness to Renounce Dual Citizenship.
Key Rule Quoted
“The issuance of the clearance is 'clearly consistent with the national interest.'”
Procedural Posture
- SOR issuedMay 14, 2004
- Answer filedJun 29, 2004
- Hearing heldAug 31, 2006
- Decision dateDec 7, 2006
Cite For
- Mitigation of Foreign Preference Under Guideline C
- Vulnerability to Foreign Influence Due to Familial Ties Under Guideline B
- Personal Conduct Concerns Related to Failure to Disclose Foreign Passport Under Guideline E