House Dems to WH: Revoke Kushner’s security clearance

A group of more than 40 House Democrats has demanded the White House revoke President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner’s security clearance, amid an investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
“While the various congressional and law enforcement investigations continue, the White House should take all possible steps to protect national security including immediately revoking Mr. Kushner’s security clearance,” the group wrote Wednesday in a letter to White House Counsel Dan McGahn, according to Politico.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who organized the letter, said in a statement Wednesday that “Jared Kushner cannot be trusted.”
{mosads}“Multiple reports now say that he discussed opening a secret line of communications that could be monitored by Russian intelligence but not American intelligence, which would be disqualifying,” he said.
Politico on Wednesday reported that the letter’s signers include House Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), as well as Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who signed a similar letter with him in April.
Trump on Monday said that he has “total confidence” in Kushner, adding that his son-in-law is “doing a great job for the country.”
“He is respected by virtually everyone and is working on programs that will save our country billions of dollars,” he said in a statement. “In addition to that, and perhaps more importantly, he is a very good person.”
Kushner reportedly talked with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in December about establishing a private communications channel between Moscow and Trump’s transition team.
He is also purportedly under scrutiny in the FBI’s ongoing investigation of potential collusion between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign.
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