There is still hope that the rampant nepotism that characterizes the Trump White House may yet be contained.
Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, is one of many White House aides to have his security clearance downgraded, according to Politico. Kushner, along with other aides, received the news via a memo on Friday. The downgraded security clearance level will restrict access to highly classified intelligence, in contrast to the access Kushner enjoyed while operating under the highest interim security clearance – Top Secret/SCI-level.
Concerns around interim security clearances surfaced after White House aide Rob Porter resigned due to domestic abuse allegations. Porter was also operating under an interim security clearance.
Many insiders and pundits scratched their heads as to the reasoning behind Kushner receiving top secret security clearance in the first place. Indeed, Kushner's background is in real estate and business; he has no previous government nor foreign policy experience. Democrats spoke of suspending his clearance back in 2017, after news leaked that Kushner omitted details of his meetings with Russians on his security clearance application.
On Feb. 16, Chief of Staff John Kelly wrote a five-page memo addressing ongoing security clearance concerns regarding White House staff, in addition to ordering actions that would impact those operating under interim security clearances. In this memo, Kelly decreed that those with interim security clearances whose background investigations had been ongoing since June 1 should see those clearances revoked on Feb. 23. However, it was unclear how this would impact Kushner — especially since his father-in-law, President Donald Trump, had the power to grant Kushner a permanent clearance.
Many suspected that the notoriously clannish president would intervene on behalf of his son-in-law. Yet Trump told reporters on Friday, according to Politico, that he would leave the fate of Kushner's security clearance in the hands of Kelly.
“I will let General Kelly make that decision,” Trump said. “I have no doubt he’ll make the right decision.”
While Kelly did not sign the memo that was released on Friday that informed aides about the security clearance downgrades, Kelly's previous memo from Feb. 16 was likely the trigger for the downgrades.
The White House has declined to comment on Kushner’s security clearance; White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders brushed past the issue when speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
“We actually haven’t commented on Jared’s issue indicated, but we have commented on his ability to do his job. Which, he’s a valued member of the team and he will continue to do the important work that he’s been doing since he’s started in the administration,” she told reporters.
Kushner’s attorney Abbe Lowell told Politico in a statement the changes would “not affect Mr. Kushner’s ability to continue to do the very important work he has been assigned by the president.”
However, others saw that as wishful thinking. Quoting exclusive sources, CNN reported:
"Republican sources close to the White House said the clearance downgrade could undercut Kushner's ability to influence policy decision-making in the West Wing. Without a top-level clearance, Kushner will be unable to attend meetings where the most sensitive national secrets are discussed."
Since Porter’s dismissal, Kushner’s security clearance has been scrutinized — even by some Trump loyalists.
Fox News host Shepard Smith told viewers last week that there was "a Kushner problem at the White House.”
“Jared Kushner submitted his application – his 'SF-86' as they call it – and did not include 100 contacts with foreigners, and then later had to go back and include them. But then later he did not include the meeting at Trump Tower with the Russian lawyer and the Russian translator. He didn't include that. So that was another amendment to this thing," Smith explained. "And that took this past June."
Officials can be imprisoned for omissions on a security clearance, as Salon previously reported.
Kushner has not been able to receive a full clearance in part because of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into the dealings of Trump and his associates.
Shares