3 ms·

Wouldn't it be more relevant to determine if their potential hire has had an undiscovered affair in the past, or is currently cheating? Why aren't they doing t

Wouldn't it be more relevant to determine if their potential hire has had an undiscovered affair in the past, or is currently cheating? Why aren't they doing this now if it was really about the potential for blackmail?

mcny 3y ago
I don't know how the federal government works but I am positive that in the private sector evidence of extramarital affairs can cause your clearance application to be rejected.
- MandieD 3y ago
  Anecdata: allegedly, confessing an extramarital affair (past or ongoing) during your Department of Defense Secret (relatively common level clearance) examination or renewal will result in an offer to speak with your spouse in a few days to ensure that you’ve told them. An unadmitted affair would set off far more alarm bells. I was a carefree recent college grad and sheepishly admitted to smoking weed a couple of times, having been assured by older friends that admitting to some past experimentation was a lot better than hiding it. “Is there anyone you don’t want to find out about this?” was the agent’s response. “Nah, my parents know…” Later, a friend who had assiduously avoided even being around weed took ages to get his clearance. We theorized that the holdup was DIA being suspicious that he didn’t admit to such minor drug use, and wondered what else he might be hiding. Habitual gambling still gets the side-eye for the same reason general financial problems do: higher susceptibility to the temptation of a few thousand dollars to let something slip or to look the other way.
jeffparsons 3y ago
They are. Political parties do something similar before putting you on a ticket: they require you to declare any dirt on yourself that could possibly be revealed at a later date, even if only one other person in the world knows about it. Then they assess the risk of each secret, and maybe decide it's okay. But if they manage to dig up anything that you didn't declare, you're out.
sokoloff 3y ago
They are doing that now. I’ve had to be a reference for several people seeking security clearances and I believe every one of those interviews asked me if I thought the subject was faithful in their relationship.

mcny 3y ago

I don't know how the federal government works but I am positive that in the private sector evidence of extramarital affairs can cause your clearance application to be rejected.

MandieD 3y ago
Anecdata: allegedly, confessing an extramarital affair (past or ongoing) during your Department of Defense Secret (relatively common level clearance) examination or renewal will result in an offer to speak with your spouse in a few days to ensure that you’ve told them. An unadmitted affair would set off far more alarm bells. I was a carefree recent college grad and sheepishly admitted to smoking weed a couple of times, having been assured by older friends that admitting to some past experimentation was a lot better than hiding it. “Is there anyone you don’t want to find out about this?” was the agent’s response. “Nah, my parents know…” Later, a friend who had assiduously avoided even being around weed took ages to get his clearance. We theorized that the holdup was DIA being suspicious that he didn’t admit to such minor drug use, and wondered what else he might be hiding. Habitual gambling still gets the side-eye for the same reason general financial problems do: higher susceptibility to the temptation of a few thousand dollars to let something slip or to look the other way.

jeffparsons 3y ago

They are. Political parties do something similar before putting you on a ticket: they require you to declare any dirt on yourself that could possibly be revealed at a later date, even if only one other person in the world knows about it. Then they assess the risk of each secret, and maybe decide it's okay. But if they manage to dig up anything that you didn't declare, you're out.

sokoloff 3y ago

They are doing that now. I’ve had to be a reference for several people seeking security clearances and I believe every one of those interviews asked me if I thought the subject was faithful in their relationship.