Trump: Chief of staff will decide on Kushner’s security clearance

President Donald Trump said on Friday that his chief of staff, John Kelly, will be in charge of deciding whether to give a permanent security clearance to Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser.

“I will let General Kelly make that decision,” Trump said at a joint news conference at the White House with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. “I have no doubt he’ll make the right decision.”

Kelly last week ordered an overhaul of the White House security clearance process, following disclosures that Rob Porter, the former staff secretary, maintained access to highly classified information despite being unable to obtain a permanent clearance because of allegations of domestic abuse by two former wives.

Kushner, whose portfolio includes the Israeli-palestinian peace process, is among several top White House aides who have had access to highly sensitive information for more than a year without a permanent clearance.

Kelly set a policy discontinuing high-level “interim” clearances for White House employees whose applications have been pending since at least June. The new rules are to take effect Friday.

The White House has so far declined to answer questions about how the new rule would affect Kushner. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday that the new policy won’t “affect the valuable work Jared is doing.”