Five are no longer working at the White House, while additional staff are working remotely while their “fitness suit” is due, a senior White House official has said. In many of the cases involving employees who are no longer employed, additional security factors were at play, including some hard drug use, the official said.
Employees were informed of the findings over the past month, two sources familiar with the situation said.
While marijuana use is legal in many states, it remains illegal at the federal level, which can be an obstacle in the federal security clearance process.
The White House explained Friday that it has reduced some restrictions in its security clearance policy to make it heavier about hiring people with a history of drug use.
White House news secretary Jen Psaki tweeted on Friday that the White House was “working with the security service to update the policies to ensure future marijuana use does not disqualify workers from being serving in the White House. ”
“As a result, more people will be attending than would previously be the case with the same level of recent drug use,” she said. “The bottom line is this: of the hundreds of people employed , only five former White House employees are no longer employed as a result of this policy. “
In a statement to CNN, Psaki said: “While we will not get into individual cases, there were additional factors at play in many cases for the small number of people who were terminated.”
Employees who need a White House security clearance must complete a detailed background check questionnaire, which includes questions about marijuana and other drugs. Applicants are asked to provide details of the type of controlled drugs or substances they have used and how often and recently they have been used.
Two sources said it had been suggested to some during the primary transition period that previous marijuana use might not disqualify individuals from serving in the White House. One source said the marijuana policy was not made clear to employees before they filled out their questionnaires.
CNN’s Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.