Despite receiving long-delayed security clearance in May, the White House’s Middle East peace point man is still barred from learning the country’s best-kept secrets.
US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser on the Middle East and other issues, Jared Kushner still faces security hurdles which hamper his ability to handle his long list of international duties, including US efforts to bring about a peace plan for the Middle East.
In May, Kushner, who spent his first year on the job without full security clearance, was finally granted access to “top secret” information. However, he still lacks access to the so-called “sensitive compartmented information” (SCI), pertaining to the president’s daily intelligence briefing about ongoing operations, The Washington Post wrote on Thursday, citing two unnamed officials.
The CIA oversees who is able to view the information, which comes from US intelligence sources and surveillance.
CIA and FBI officials are apparently concerned over Jared Kushner’s foreign contacts, and his being a subject of an ongoing probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, The Times of Israel wrote.
Even though the lack of SCI access could limit Kushner’s ability to do his job, there has been no evidence this was happening.
His lawyer said in May that Kushner received his “top secret” clearance in the usual way and that he had access to the information he needed to carry out his responsibilities.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Jared Kushner helped develop and run Trump’s digital media strategy.
On January 9, 2017, he was named as a senior White House advisor.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
