Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said on Tuesday that Jared Kushner’s continued access to secret information does not jeopardize national security, even after his top-secret security clearance was downgraded.
“I don’t believe it’s a threat to our national security because he now has, under [chief of staff] Gen. [John] Kelly’s direction, had a temporary access to some types of information, but not to highly classified information,” Coats said during an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
He said Kelly was working to shorten the list of White House officials operating on interim security clearances, and that Kushner’s access to the nation’s most secret information had been revoked.
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It was revealed in February that dozens of White House and Trump administration officials had been working on interim clearances for months, yet were still allowed to handle highly classified information.
That revelation was prompted by the resignation of Rob Porter, the former White House staff secretary. Porter had been accused by two ex-wives of domestic abuse, and it was later revealed that those allegations had prevented him, at least in part, from obtaining a full security clearance.
Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, was also among those revealed to be working on an interim clearance. Kelly sought to crack down on the clearance process last month, and downgraded Kushner’s top-secret clearance.
Kushner has been charged with overseeing a wide-ranging portfolio in Trump’s White House, including trade issues with Mexico and brokering a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians.