Foreign officials have discussed how to use White House senior adviser Jared Kushner’s business interests and lack of foreign policy experience to their advantage, raising concerns among some officials in the administration, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Officials in the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico are reportedly among those who have privately talked about how they could gain leverage against President Trump’s son-in-law.
U.S. officials told the Post that they were worried Kushner was “naive and being tricked” during his meetings with foreign officials. It is not clear if any of the countries in question carried out what they discussed regarding Kushner, the newspaper reported.
{mosads}National security adviser H.R. McMaster was surprised to learn of some of Kushner’s meetings with foreign officials and raised questions about those contacts in his daily intelligence briefings, the Post reported.
A spokesman for Kushner’s lawyer called the claims “second-hand hearsay” from unnamed sources, according to the newspaper.
Kushner handles a broad range of responsibilities in the Trump administration, including negotiating Middle East peace. His real estate business has come under heightened scrutiny since he took a role in the Trump administration.
The Securities and Exchanges Commission launched an investigation last month into the company’s use of a visa program. Meanwhile, special counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly taken an interest in Kushner’s attempts to secure foreign financing for his real estate company during the presidential transition.
Kushner had his security clearance downgraded from top secret to secret late last week, meaning he will no longer be able to view top-secret intelligence, according to multiple reports.
White House chief of staff John Kelly announced earlier this month that the White House would review the administration’s handling of temporary security clearances.