White House knew top aide Claude Allen was accused of felony and did nothing about it

Their reasoning? He had already had lots of background checks a while ago and they came out okay.

Huh? Security clearances check to see if there's anything in your past, they don't guarantee that you aren't going to commit a felony tomorrow, and they certainly don't exonerate you preemptively.

The larger pattern just keeps filling in of a White House where crimes are meaningless, and national security during wartime is meaningless. Claude Allen, Bush's top domestic policy adviser, was allowed free reign to the White House after he was accused by the police of stealing. All Allen had to do was tell the White House fuggedaboutit and they looked the other way, like they always do.

Jeff Gannon accessed the White House 200 times in a two year period without having undergone the required 3 month background check. Fuggedaboutit. Bernie Kerik for Homeland Security? Fuggedaboutit. Harriet Miers for Supreme Court, Brownie for FEMA, Karl Rove and Scooter Libby leak Valerie Plame, and on and on and on.

In the crony White House, it's not what you know, it's what law you've broken to get there that counts.