Does the president-elect have to go through security clearance?

[averagebear]

..before being sworn-in?

I know that everyone who works around the president have to be "Yankee White" and have gone through the rigorous background check including organization affiliations, where the person has lived, interviews with relatives, and people he associates with who are not natural-born U.S. citizens. This process can take several months to a year.

Governors and senators don't have that level of security clearance. In fact the president can grant or revoke security access by senators. Who checks the president? Does the NSA scramble to check the president-elect between November and January? Or do they start after the party nomination? What's the process? Anyone know?

[Dani]

The FBI screens all candidates who aspire to be President. They cannot run until that clearnce has been made. At that point, they can declare their candidacy. That includes Hillary, who is well known and John Mccain, who has been in Washington for 26 years.

That's why so many smear tactics here are so childish. If Obama was a Muslim terrorist , wouldn't the FBI have known?

[pathfinder]

They probably do a security screen on all candidates who run for president.

[Michael]

I suppose no. There are qualifications set out in the Constitution for being President. Beyond those the people can elect anyone they want as President no matter what their past.
Anyway, after the ringer the media and a candidates opponents put him/her through, I think the job will be thoroughly done beforehand.