Originally Posted by
leaveamessage
Dont think so.
The ESTA form asks specifically about offences involving moral turpitude, whereas there are reports of GE applicants being denied for misdemeanours- some many many years ago- or even such stuff as traffic offences- none of which you would have to declare when applying for ESTA.
My permanent resident card is pending right now- looking forward to not having to wait in the visitors line any more and hopefully applying for GE later
ESTA is basically an expedited visa procedure, specifically a check on one's fitness to enter the USA for a certain period.
GE, at least as it's explained to USA citizens, is more about expedited customs clearance, specifically about whether there is a risk of the person violating the rules about what can be brought into the USA, not just drugs and excess cash, but also fruit, meat, etc.
TSA and PreCheck deal with airport security issues and the risk of a potential terrorist bringing forbidden items onto a flight.
It's not surprising that the criteria and questions for these different programs are not the same!
ADDED. PreCheck is not available for trips, including domestic connections within the USA, that are considered to be international. It one has a domestic flight on an international itinerary but for a different day, I'm not sure whether the passenger would be eligible for PreCheck but I suspect not.