Sovereign Citizen Denied Clearance by Department of Energy

Sovereign citizens are anti-government extremists who claim the federal government is operating outside its jurisdiction and therefore, are not bound by government authority in such things as law enforcement, courts, taxes, or even having a driver’s license or identification. The only law enforcement authority they respect is a sheriff. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies have designated sovereign citizens as domestic terrorists and many are involved in major crime rings. Putting these facts together with what we know about national security adjudicative guidelines, it would be a no-brainer to assume one who engages in this type of behavior would not qualify for security clearance eligibility, right?

Well, surprisingly, a “sovereign citizen” applied for a security clearance with the Department of Energy (DOE) and was initially denied eligibility based on several issues: making false statements, lack of candor in omitting key information; a history of financial irresponsibility; criminal conduct involving bank fraud and receiving stolen property; and of course, allegiance to the United States. Amazingly, the applicant even self-identified himself as a “sovereign citizen” to local security officials when processing his application. Needless to say, his appeal was denied by the DOE Office of Hearing and Appeals, but you’ve got to wonder what the heck he was thinking in applying for a position that required a security clearance in the first place. This was probably one of the easiest decisions ever for the judge. Go here to see the entire case summary – it makes for some entertaining reading.