Why would the White House consider Susan Sarandon a security risk?

Susan Sarandon, almost as well-known for her liberal activism as she is for making movies, is claiming that she was recently denied a security clearance to visit the White House, and that the government has tapped her phone.

“We know we’re under surveillance, I’ve had my phone tapped,” Sarandon told the audience during a question and answer session at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival. She also said she had twice seen a file the government holds on her by filing Freedom of Information requests.

A rep for Sarandon did not respond to FoxNews.com’s request for further comment, and government officials are staying mum on the matter, too. So why, as Sarandon claims, would the feds would want to keep the Oscar-winner on close watch, and out of the White House all together?

“Based on her history of activism and outspoken nature in pursuing her agenda, it makes sense that the White House would be leery about her motives for a White House visit,” Michael Wildes, immigration lawyer at New York-based Wildes & Weinberg, told FOX411’s Pop Tarts. “Her motivation to bring this out is more than likely about her political agenda more so than it is her looking for attention. But, wire taps do not necessarily have to be indicative of someone that is a serious security threat, especially in the Patriot Act era.”

Sarandon’s liberal activism has spanned over four decades. She has also put her celebrity behind several Democratic presidential hopefuls, including John Kerry and John Edwards; called for elections to be monitored by international authorities; vehemently protested against the invasion of Iraq; and rallied for the withdrawal of U.S. troops overseas.

Most recently, Sarandon came under fire for referring to Pope Benedict XVI as a ‘Nazi,’ and spoke out in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. But given that President Obama is running for reelection, some say it is in his best interests to distance himself from the “Dead Man Walking” star.

“By any objective standard, Susan is an extremist. Her far-left activism would have resulted in her being labeled a ‘subversive’ in decades past, and she is not someone Mr. Obama and his administration are likely to want to associate with given the upcoming election,” said California-based attorney, David Wohl. “Sarandon’s recent labeling of the Pope as a ‘Nazi’ could result in severe damage to the President’s re-election prospects with Catholic voters should he invite her to the White House.”

Sarandon may also consider her self-suggested status as a security threat a boon to her activist reputation.

“If true, it’s a badge of honor in her circles,” noted Jason Maloni of Levick Strategic Communications. “Plus I expect she’s not applying for a government job anytime soon.”