Va. company involved in passport snooping scandal just won $570 million federal contract

We learned Friday that the still-unnamed individuals who improperly accessed the passport files of presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain were not actually State Department employees but worked for two private contractors -- The Analysis Corp.* and Stanley Associates. Both companies are based in Virginia.

Earlier this week, Arlington-based Stanley won a five-year, $570 million contract from the State Department to provide passport services. Stanley also runs immigration document processing centers and recently cut wages for some of those employees despite a surge in applications. Employees protested the pay cut, picketing in front of a federal office building in Laguna Niguel, Calif. Stanley's chairman, president and CEO, Phil Nolan, is a Hillary Clinton supporter, having donated $1,000 to her campaign on Feb. 20, according to OpenSecrets.org.

The Analysis Corp. of McLean was founded in 1990 and acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary of SFA Inc. of Crofton, Md. in 2003. The company is headed by John O. Brennan, a former CIA agent who is an adviser to Obama's presidential campaign on intelligence and foreign policy. OpenSecrets.org reports that Brennan donated $2,300 to Obama's campaign on Jan. 28.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee, which oversees the State Department, announced Friday that it would investigate the security breaches. The State Department's Inspector General is also looking into the incidents.

* I originally reported that the company involved was The Analysis Group; I apologize for the error.