Trump: Kushner clearance up to Kelly
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday that he will leave it up to chief of staff John Kelly to decide whether Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will keep his interim security clearance.
“I will let General Kelly make that decision, and he’s going to do what’s right for the country, and I have no doubt he’ll make the right decision,” Trump said during a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, where he addressed the security clearance issue for the first time.
Kushner is one of dozens of White House aides who have been working without permanent security clearances for the better part of a year.
Kelly, in a memo released last week, had set a Friday deadline for halting access to top secret information for those whose applications have been pending since June 1 or before that date.
Some officials are expected to leave their posts as a result, while others will continue working with reduced — or no — access to classified information.
White House officials had not ruled out the idea of Trump potentially using his executive authority to grant Kushner a permanent security clearance, which would circumvent the traditional process. But Trump made clear Friday he would not be intervening.
A White House official said staffers affected by the memo are being notified individually Friday. Those with temporary “top secret” or higher clearances are expected to be bumped down to temporary “secret” clearances, which provide more limited access.
Trump and Turnbull put their “mateship” on full display at the White House as they took turns praising each other’s approaches on immigration and taxes.
Relations between the two got off to a rocky start a year ago, but none of that was evident as they prepared to field questions from journalists in the East Room after an afternoon of talks, including a lot of discussion about jobs.
Trump congratulated Turnbull on “your immigration reforms and on Australia’s commitment to merit-based immigration.”
“Are my friends from Congress listening to that? Merit based,” Trump asked.
Trump has been arguing for changes to turn the U.S. immigration system into one that is more focused on merit and the skills immigrants can contribute to the U.S., and less focused on family ties.
But Trump’s immigration demands have upset lawmakers, mostly Democrats.
“We want to do meritbased immigration also,” Trump said, adding that such a system “really protects the interest of Australia and its people.
“It’s the way to go. And you’ve been very successful with it,” Trump said. “Here, we’re working very hard to do the same. In that sense, we’re going to, hopefully, follow in your footprints.”
When it was his turn to speak, Turnbull returned the favor by complimenting Trump’s decision to cut taxes, calling it “one of the most powerful arguments” he is using to persuade lawmakers President Donald Trump to cut business taxes back home.
Trump signed a $1.5 trillion tax cut into law in December, significantly shaving taxes for corporations and the wealthy while providing more modest breaks for middle-class individuals.
Turnbull, accompanied by the largest Australian political and business delegation ever to visit the U.S., said he and Trump spent a lot of time talking about jobs.
He said Trump’s economic reforms are “one of the most powerful arguments that we are deploying to persuade our legislature to reduce business taxes.”
“I will let General Kelly make that decision, and he’s going to do what’s right for the country, and I have no doubt he’ll make the right decision.”