Jared Kushner to have White House security clearance restored after being questioned by Robert Mueller
Mr Kushner had previously been granted limited clearance while the FBI conducted a background check
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is set to regain his top security clearance after going through a lengthy interview last month with special counsel investigators.
Mr Kushner, who is also President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, met with investigators from the Justice Department for seven or eight hours in what was his second interview related to the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and contacts between Trump officials and Russians.
During that interviews, the investigators and Mr Kushner reportedly touched on a large variety of topics, including Mr Trump’s decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey, according to media reports.
The background check related to Mr Kushner, his financial history, and his foreign contacts took longer than a year and had become a source of uncertainty for the White House.
“With respect to the news about his clearances, as we stated before, his application was properly submitted, reviews by numerous career officials and underwent the normal process. Having completed all of these processes, he’s looking forward to continuing to do the work the president has asked him to do,” Abbe Lowell, Mr Kushner’s personal attorney, said in a statement provided to The Washington Post.
The statement also indicated that Mr Kushner had been voluntarily cooperating with the special counsel investigation.
Individuals in Mr Trump’s orbit say that Mr Kushner does not have any knowledge of any potential collusion between the Russian government and the Trump team.
“They can spend all the time they want with Jared. He’s got no knowledge of Russian collusion of any kind,” Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for Mr Trump, said in an interview with NPR.
Mr Kushner’s clearance was initially downgraded in February as the White House attempted to impose stricter requirements for security clearances in the wake of the resignation of former staff secretary Rob Porter.
When Mr Porter resigned, it emerged that several others with sensitive jobs in the White House had been working with only tentative clearances.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments