House panel probing use of email by White House

The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee and its top Democrat asked the Trump administration Monday for more information about the use of personal email accounts by senior officials - a day after it was revealed that Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, acknowledged using such an account for official business.

The letters, sent from Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., to White House counsel Don McGahn and the leaders of two dozen federal departments and agencies, demand answers to inquiries about the use of nonofficial email and other messaging accounts to conduct official business. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the ranking Democrat on the panel, also joined the request.

Kushner used his personal account to correspond dozens of times with White House colleagues, according to a statement from his attorney, Abbe Lowell. The emails, Lowell said, were forwarded to Kushner’s official White House address and thus preserved in accordance with government policies.

The requests, they explain, are necessary to examine whether the Trump administration is adhering to federal laws pertaining to records retention. The use of personal email to conduct government business potentially puts those messages beyond the reach of congressional investigators and the media requesting public information. Private accounts can also open security risks if the email service used is lax on password security.