Kushner’s foreign contacts are one reason he never secured a permanent security clearance, despite his position of influence in the White House — and potentially contributed to the decision last month to downgrade his interim clearance from top secret to secret. Kushner’s overseas contacts raise concerns as foreign officials seek leveragePhalen and other federal background check officials declined to weigh in specifically on Kushner’s clearance, noting that there are no specific tripwires or dealbreakers outlined in the review process for security clearances. But they warned that, in general, the type of circumstances surrounding Kushner and the White House could jeopardize national security. “We feel that it can go much lower,” Garry Reid, the Pentagon’s director of defense intelligence, told the Senate panel. Though there is urgency in Congress to amend and improve the security clearance process, the road ahead is unclear.

Source: Washington Post March 07, 2018 21:35 UTC