Kushner’s security clearances downgraded

Washington, February 28 

US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has been stripped of his top-secret security clearance, limiting his unfettered access to see the country’s top secrets, media reports said today.  The decision made by the White House chief of staff John Kelly came as the Trump administration struggles with claims of intelligence leaks.

Kushner, along with other White House officials, who had been operating on interim clearances, had their access altered last week after Kelly stipulated new changes to the security clearance system. The security clearance of 37-year-old Kushner, who is also Trump’s senior adviser, was downgraded after months of delays in completing his background check, the reports said. Kushner, who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter Ivanka, had access to the President’s Daily Brief, a secret intelligence report. Kushner and the aides previously held what is known as “Top Secret/SCI-level” clearances, which provided them with unfettered access to classified information and some of the country’s most guarded secrets.

However, despite the clearance downgrade, the president has the unilateral authority to share classified information as he sees fit, including with his son-in-law. 

The White House did not immediately comment on the memo on downgrading the security clearance to Kushner. “We do not comment on individual security clearances.   We actually haven’t commented on Jared’s. 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 started in the administration,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.  According to Politico, Kushner’s security level has been downgraded from the top secret to secret level.

Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Kushner, said that he “has done more than what is expected of him in this process”. The changes would “not affect Kushner’s ability to continue to do the very important work he has been assigned by the president”. Kushner is currently in charge of the vexed Middle East peace process. “As I told Jared days ago, I have full confidence in his ability to continue performing his duties in his foreign policy portfolio including overseeing our Israeli-Palestinian peace effort and serving as an integral part of our relationship with Mexico,” Kelly had said. — PTI