The White House faced new scrutiny on Thursday after MS NOW reported that Natalie Harp, one of President Donald Trump's closest aides, worked for more than a year without the routine security clearance normally obtained by West Wing staff. The network cited two people familiar with the matter, while the White House said Harp now has a clearance and defended her as loyal and hardworking.
According to the report, Harp repeatedly delayed completing the required paperwork after becoming an official White House employee when Trump returned to office in January 2025. Her reasons were not known. Concerns eventually reached the White House counsel's office and security officials, and Trump personally became involved before Harp submitted the forms and received clearance in recent months, one source told the network.
A senior White House official told MS NOW that Harp received several extensions because the application was lengthy. The standard SF-86 form asks about residences, finances and foreign contacts and starts a federal background investigation. The report did not say that Harp mishandled classified information, and it did not establish which sensitive material, if any, she saw before receiving clearance.
The concern centers on Harp's extraordinary proximity to the president. She serves as special assistant and executive assistant, regularly accompanies Trump and helps select the printed news, polling and messages placed before him. CBS News and The New York Times have described her as a gatekeeper who types social-media posts, travels with the president and operates outside much of the conventional White House chain of command.
MS NOW reported that security concerns about Harp's access arose internally and that attempts by senior staff to reduce her round-the-clock proximity were unsuccessful. The Guardian said the account prompted renewed questions about whether an aide exposed to highly sensitive conversations had undergone proper vetting. Former White House adviser David Axelrod said that, if accurate, the report raised a serious national-security issue.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the network that Harp has a security clearance like other staff and remains a loyal, hardworking member of Trump's team. Harp did not provide a separate response in the reports. The disclosure leaves the administration facing calls to explain what access she had during the reported gap, why extensions continued for so long and what safeguards applied before the background process was completed.
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