Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Jared Kushner Refuses to Surrender His Security Clearances After John Kelly's Overhaul

Jared Kushner Refuses to Surrender His Security Clearances After John Kelly's Overhaul
(SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Tensions between Jared Kushner and John Kelly have reached a boiling point in the West Wing after the Chief of Staff updated the rules for interim security clearances that will no longer grant Donald Trump's son-in-law access to classified information, according to the New York Times.

Kushner is refusing to give up his access to secret government intel after Kelly announced he would be limiting those with pending background information since June 1.


The senior advisor is on the list due to mistakes he made on his application, and The Times reported that his background information was not submitted fully.

Mr. Kushner initially failed to disclose scores of those contacts on the standard form required for all prospective government officials, and has since amended his submission, substantially delaying his background check.

According to anonymous officials inside the White House, Kushner believes he's being personally targeted by the Chief of Staff with the new directive.


Kelly issued a five-page memo Friday announcing the White House's block on high-level information access.

He explained that the new rules would "limit access to certain highly classified information for those individuals working with interim clearance status absent explicit chief of staff's office approval, which would be granted only in the most compelling circumstances."

But, Kelly assured Kushner that his work won't be affected by the policy change and that he already has sufficient level of access to continue doing his job.

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.



The report described his clearances that are being threatened under the new mandate.

Mr. Kushner's clearance has afforded him access to closely guarded information, including the presidential daily brief, the intelligence summary Mr. Trump receives every day, but it has not been made permanent, and his background investigation is still pending after 13 months serving in Mr. Trump's inner circle.




The changes are set to take place on Kelly's self-imposed deadline of Friday followed by monthly reviews of high-level clearances.

Twitter offered no sympathies.




His tantrum could be for other reasons.




Kelly's overhaul was a result of former aide Rob Porter, who resigned under pressure due to allegations of domestic abuse from two of his ex-wives. He was able to work with a stopgap clearance for over a year despite the damaging information the FBI had on him.

"We should ― and, in the future, must ― do better," said Kelly.

Officials are unclear whether the new policy will be enforced on Kushner since Trump ultimately dictates who he wants to keep in his inner circle.

H/T - HuffingtonPost, NYtimes, Twitter

More from News

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less