For the worst week of Donald Trumps presidency, a bombshell, with something for everyone. A trump lie so big the trump family and their lawyer appear to be in on it. A National Security threat so dire that two of the most senior west wing advisers warned against it, and the new hallmark of a trump scandal, contemporaneous memos chronicling the transgression. In this case the story involved the president s soninlaw Jared Kushner and his pursuit of a security clearance. Turns out there was never an allclear given to jared, there was never a decision Jared Kushner could be trusted with the nations most sensitive secrets. From the New York Times scoop quote, President Trump ordered his chief of staff to grant his soninlaw and adviser Jared Kushner a topsecret security clearance last overruling concerns flagged by intelligence officials and the white houses top lawyer. Four people briefed on the matter said trumps decision in may so troubled Senior Administration officials that at least one
May so troubled Senior Administration officials that at least one, the white house chief of staff at the time, john kelly, wrote a contemporaneous internal memo about how he had been, quote, ordered to give kushner the top secret clearance. The white House Counsel at the time, tom mcgann, also wrote an internal memo outlining the concerned raised by kushner by the cia and how mcgann recommended he not be given a topsecret clearance. This reporting also revealed a effort of coordinated lies. Did you tell general kelly or anyone in the white house to no, i dont think i have the authority to do that. I dont think i do. But i would never do it. Jared is a good i was never involved with his security. The president had no involvement pertaining to my clearance or my husbands clearance. What were the problems early on . There werent any. So no special treatment . No. There was nobody in the political process that had anything to do with it. There was nobody who pressured it. It was just done