A White House security official overruled red flags in an FBI background investigation to give Jared Kushner top secret security clearance, according to a report from NBC News.
Two unnamed sources told NBC that Carl Kline, the director of the personnel security in the Executive Office, approved Mr. Kushner’s application despite rejections by two other security specialists. Mr. Kushner is President Trump’s son-in-law and a senior White House adviser.
The issues in Mr. Kushner’s FBI background investigation were connected to his family’s business, foreign contacts, and international travel and meetings during the 2016 campaign, according to the report.
The sources said Mr. Kline made similar exceptions for at least 30 other cases in the Trump administration.
After being approved by Mr. Kline, Mr. Kushner’s application was forwarded to the CIA for an even higher clearance that would give him access to “sensitive compartmented information” — SCI — which contain the government’s most secret materials.
The Washington Post reported in July that Mr. Kushner was not approved for an SCI clearance.
In February, Mr. Kushner was downgraded from an interim top secret clearance to the “secret” level.
The report comes just after Rep. Elijah Cummings, Maryland Democrat, announced that the House Oversight Committee would launch an investigation into the White House security clearance process.
In a letter to the White House, Mr. Cummings specifically highlighted concerns regarding clearing Michael Flynn, the former National Security Adviser, and Mr. Kushner.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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