Commerce Restricts Clearances

DAILY BRIEFING

Commerce Restricts Clearances

Commerce Secretary William Daley today announced a series of measures designed to restrict employee access to classified information.

According to an Associated Press report, Daley said that after a lengthy review process, Commerce had cut the number of security clearances at the department by 27 percent, from 5,415 to 3,978. Daley said that new clearances would only be granted under a strict "need to know" policy.

Daley also said Commerce would implement a bar-coding system to track classified documents as they move through the department.

David Holmes, a 24-year veteran of the Secret Service, will oversee the new system. Holmes was named to the newly created position of deputy assistant secretary of Commerce for security.

The security policy changes are the latest in a series of actions Daley has taken in the wake of allegations of improper political activity by former Commerce employee and Democratic Party fundraiser John Huang.