Watchdog: Kushner is a national security threat

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) on Thursday asked the White House to revoke a temporary security clearance from administration adviser Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

In a complaint delivered to White House chief of staff John Kelly, CREW argues that the temporary clearance Kushner has worked in the White House under for more than a year is insufficient to ensure that he’s qualified to handle the nation’s most sensitive security documents.

The watchdog organization is asking Kelly to revoke the clearance until Kushner is fully vetted by national security officials via an extensive background check. The group also notes that Kushner has been forced to amend his application for security clearance multiple times as information about his foreign contacts and business interests became public over the past several months.

From the complaint:

Under the executive orders and administrative guidelines governing eligibility for access to classified information, Mr. Kushner’s access to classified information, even on a temporary basis, appears to represent a security threat. Mr. Kushner failed to disclose multiple contacts with Russian officials and other foreign officials in his initial application for security clearance, raising security concerns and questions about Mr. Kushner’s candor. Mr. Kushner’s role in President Trump’s campaign and transition also is being examined as part of the criminal probes.

The group insists that it isn’t picking on the Trump adviser with the request, only working to ensure that a precedent for loose security procedures is not set for future administrations.

“Failure to revoke Jared Kushner’s temporary clearance would set a dangerous precedent by signaling a willingness to tolerate unacceptable national security risks,” said CREW director Noah Bookbinder.

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