Jared Kushner, son-in-law and adviser to President Trump, has a growing role in the White House. Last month he received a promotion of sorts to lead a new West Wing office intended to overhaul the federal government. Yet, as his role continues to evolve, Kushner is coming under intense scrutiny. Consider a new New York Times report, in which the editors did a bit of digging and discovered that Kushner failed to disclose his meetings with Russian officials when he was applying for a security clearance.
Democratic representatives Don Beyer (VA), Ted Lieu (CA), Jerrold Nadler (NY), Jamie Raskin (MD), and Peter Welch (VT) believe that's enough to strip Kushner of his security clearance. They made their request to the FBI and the Office of Personnel Management Thursday, along with a statement.
"We were concerned last week that a story with significant national security implications – Jared Kushner's 'omission' of meetings with foreign government officials – did not receive the scrutiny it deserved," the Democrats wrote. "Mr. Kushner must divulge the details of his meetings with foreign officials and explain why he did not reveal them when he was clearly required by to do so by law."
Kushner is not the only Trump adviser to get into trouble for failing to disclose meetings with the Russian government. When former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn misled the White House about his meetings with the Russian ambassador earlier this year, it cost him his job.
At the very least, applicants who withhold information or provide false statements while applying for a security clearance may be denied. At worst, they could face up to five years in prison, Politico notes.
Kushner's staff is reportedly working on gathering more information in regards to his meetings. In the meantime, he is using an "interim" clearance.
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