CNN reported Friday that dozens of White House staffers are working without full security clearance.

There's been some speculation about the number of White House staffers working without full security clearances, and on Friday, CNN reported that many individuals fall into that category.
"Thirty to 40 White House officials and administration political appointees are still operating without full security clearances, including senior adviser to President Donald Trump Jared Kushner and -- until recently -- White House staffer Rob Porter, according to a US official and a source familiar with the situation," CNN noted.
The White House attributed the procedural delay to the FBI and Office of Security, however, according to CNN's sources, the backlog is unusual, this late into the new administration.
While the longer process could suggest pending questions about some of these individuals, it could also be because many officials in the Trump administration don't have typical government background and are undergoing clearance for the first time.
"The issue of security clearances burst into the spotlight this week after it was revealed that two ex-wives of White House staff secretary Rob Porter had accused him of domestic violence and relayed those allegations to FBI background-check investigators," the Washington Post noted. "Porter, like Kushner, had been operating on an interim security clearance that allowed him to keep his job in the White House."
Don Gips, who helped lead former President Barack Obama's transition team, told The Hill, "We never would have allowed someone to hold that position knowing the history that [Porter] had."
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah was asked on Thursday about the number of staffers still working with interim security clearances, but he declined to provide specifics.