As White House chief of staff John Kelly is beginning to solve the issue regarding the security clearance process, Jared Kushner as a senior adviser to Trump is refusing to give up his interim high-level clearance.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Kushner has reportedly told other White House officials that he is hesitant to give up his access to the classified information, putting him at odds with Kelly. Kushner is one of several White House appointees still operating on an interim security clearance.
Last week, the chief of staff announced in a memo that there will be a change as to how interim security clearances are handled as well as that certain clearances will be revoked.
The memo was a result of the harsh criticism aimed at Kelly regarding Rob Porter, who resigned amid domestic abuse accusations and who handled classified information on a temporary clearance despite an FBI background check that triggered concerns.
The Hill reported Tuesday night, that Kelly said he would not comment on anyone’s security clearance, but said he has “full confidence” in Kushner to continue handling his extensive responsibilities in regards to foreign-policy matters.
“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 said.
“Everyone in the White House is grateful for these valuable contributions to furthering the President’s agenda. There is no truth to any suggestion otherwise,” he added.
Meanwhile, the White House on Tuesday stated that the changes will not affect Kushner. According to the Times, President Trump, who is Kushner’s father-in-law, spent the weekend at Mar-a-Lago surveying people about whether he should fire Kelly.
Since Trump took office, Kushner has updated his security clearance forms several times to add foreign contacts that he previously did not list.
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