Kushner’s security clearance downgraded
WASHINGTON — Jared Kushner, senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, had his security clearance downgraded Friday, sharply limiting his access to some of the nation’s most-sensitive secrets amid concerns raised by the ongoing investigation of his background, two White House officials said Tuesday.
Kushner was one of several White House officials who received a memo Friday announcing that because of their interim security clearances, their status was being downgraded from “Top Secret/SCI” level to “Secret” level, a far lower level of access to classified information.
The memo came after White House chief of staff John Kelly had set a Friday deadline for all staffers operating under an interim clearance to have their temporary clearance revoked, following scrutiny of Kelly’s handling of domestic abuse allegations against former staff secretary Rob Porter, who had also been operating under an interim clearance.
Because he had an interim clearance, Kushner was not supposed to be able to see the president’s daily intelligence briefing or have access to other top-secret program information, one administration official said. But the rules were not enforced with regard to the access rules for the president’s son-in-law.
Earlier this month, a top Justice Department official alerted the White House that significant information requiring additional investigation would further delay Kushner’s security clearance process, The Washington Post reported last week.
Kushner’s inability to obtain a final clearance has frustrated and vexed the White House for months. As someone who meets regularly with foreign officials and reads classified intelligence, he would typically have a fast-tracked background investigation, security-clearance experts said.
Friday’s downgrade represents a significant loss of access for Kushner, who routinely attended classified briefings, received access to the president’s daily intelligence report and issued requests for information to the intelligence community.
A secret document may be a diplomatic cable from a U.S. embassy to the State Department, discussing the internal politics of that country. The top secret/SCI category, by contrast, includes details of U.S. programs like drone targeting in Pakistan or covert operations conducted by Special Forces. It also may include high-level private discussions between senior government leaders.
Kelly had told associates that he was uncomfortable with Kushner’s uncertain security-clearance status and unique role as both a family member and staffer, according to people familiar with the conversations. He has said he would not be upset if the president’s sonin-law and his wife, Ivanka Trump, left their positions as full-time employees.