Trump Close Adviser Kushner Has Security Clearance Downgraded
U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and top adviser, Jared Kushner, has had his security clearance downgraded, in a move that will limit his access to the most sensitive information.
Kushner was one of several White House aides working with an interim security clearance at the Top Secret/SCI-level. They were informed in a memo sent Friday that their clearances would be downgraded to the Secret level, Politico reported Tuesday.
SCI stands for sensitive compartmentalized information, used for information that comes from sensitive sources and must have restricted access.
Kushner, who is married to Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka, will no longer have access to the Presidential Daily Briefing, the most valued U.S. intelligence report.
The president has the ability to grant Kushner a permanent clearance, but Trump said Friday he was leaving the decision to his chief of staff, retired Marine General John Kelly.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to comment on Kushner’s clearance status at a briefing 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.”
Kushner’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement that Kushner “has done more than what is expected of him in this process.”
The news of the change in Kushner's status followed the announcement hours earlier that his spokesman, Josh Raffel, will be leaving the White House.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that Kushner's contacts with certain foreign government officials have raised concerns within the White House.
The newspaper, citing current and former U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports on the matter, reported that officials in the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico have privately discussed ways in which they could take advantage of Kushner and his business arrangements.
It is unclear if any of those countries acted on the discussions, the report said.