Trump son-in-law Kushner loses access to coveted intelligence briefing, say sources

U.S. President Donald Trump'sson-in-law, Jared Kushner, has lost access to the most valuedU.S. intelligence report, the President's Daily Brief, as theWhite House moves to impose greater discipline on access tosecrets, two U.S. officials familiar with the matter said onTuesday.

Kushner, a close Trump adviser who has been operating underan interim security clearance for about a year, had his accessto the highly classified briefing cut off in the past few weeks,said the sources.

A third official, also speaking on condition of anonymity,said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein recently passed newinformation to White House Counsel Don McGahn that led to theslowing or stopping of Kushner's pending clearance application.The nature of that information was not clear.

It also is unclear if and when Kushner's access to thebriefing, known as the PDB, which requires clearance higher thanthe top-secret level, would be reinstated.

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Kushner, a wealthy New York businessman married to Trump'sdaughter Ivanka, has not received his full security clearancebecause of his extensive financial links, which have taken along time to examine. He has revised his security clearanceform, called an SF-86, several times.

A White House spokespersonfor Kushner did not immediatelyreturn a phone call and email seeking comment. Trump ignoredreporters' shouted questions about Kushner and his clearance atan event on Tuesday afternoon.

Kushner'slawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement: "Mr.Kushner has done more than what is expected of him in thisprocess."

Interim clearance for others

"My inquiries ... have confirmed that there are a dozen ormore people at Mr. Kushner's level whose process is delayed,that it is not uncommon for this process to take this long in anew administration, that the current backlogs are beingaddressed, and no concerns were raised about Mr. Kushner'sapplication," Lowell said.

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Trump's White House has been grappling with the securityclearance issue since it emerged this month that staff secretaryRob Porter worked for Trump for a year with a temporaryclearance despite accusations by his two former wives ofdomestic abuse. Porter has maintained his innocence.

The President's Daily Brief is distributed to a small numberof top-level U.S. officials. It includes highly classifiedintelligence analysis, information about CIA covert operationsand reports from the most sensitive U.S. sources or those sharedby allied intelligence agencies.

Extensive portfolio

Kushner has had a broadportfolio, acting as the president's intermediaryfor areas that include the Middle East, Mexico and China.He hastaken the lead on Trump's plan to forge a Mideastpeace dealand led the Office of American Innovation, which is intended tomodernize and downsize government programs.

'Mr.Kushner has done more than what is expected of him in thisprocess.'- Jared Kushner's lawyer, Abbe Lowell

New security clearance policies announced by White HouseChief of Staff John Kelly "will not affect Mr. Kushner's abilityto continue to do the very important work he has been assignedby the president," Lowell said.

But one of the U.S. officials who said Kushner had lost access to the daily brief said that without it, his role in somemajor policy deliberations, including on China and Russia, couldbe limited.

Kelly, whose handling of the Porter case was heavilycriticized, decreed on Feb. 16 that any interim securityclearances for staffers whose background investigations had beenpending since June 1 or before would be discontinued within aweek.

A source familiar with the matter said the situation hadcaused tensions between Kushner and Kelly.

Trump still supportive

On Friday, Trump said he would leave it to Kelly to settlethe security clearance dispute with Kushner, but left littledoubt he wanted the case settled in a way that allowed Kushnerto keep his job. As president, Trump could grant Kushner a full security clearance on his own authority.

White House spokespersonSarah Sanders would not comment onwhether Kushner's security clearance issues had been resolved.

"He's a valued member of the team and he will continue to dothe important work that he's been doing since he started in theadministration," she told a briefing.

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A top Republican and Democrat on the senate judiciary committee wrote to McGahn and FBI Director Christopher Wray onTuesday, asking for more information on the number of WhiteHouse officials with interim clearances.

The letter by Sen.Chuck Grassley, the committee'sRepublican chairman, and Democratic Sen.Richard Blumenthal,suggested bipartisan concern over the issue.

Citing reports that dozens of officials are operating withinterim clearances, the two lawmakers wrote: "If true, thisraises significant concerns that ineligible individuals, whohold positions of public trust, may have access to sensitive orclassified information."

Tuesday also saw the announcement of the departure of a topKushneraide in the White House, deputy communications director JoshRaffel. A White House official said he is returning to work in the private sector in New York, where he has "family obligations."

Digital expert to manage 2020 campaign

Meanwhile, Trump has named political strategistBradParscaleas manager of his 2020 presidential re-election campaign.

The Austin-based digital consultant, an ally of Kushner, ran the Trump campaign's digital operations in 2016, which included sophisticated social media targeting.

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Parscale entered the Trump orbit in 2011 by doing web design work for the Trump family including the president's real estate firm and his son Eric Trump's charity before Kushner hired him for the campaign.

Parscale and Kushner helped craft the 2016 team's digital strategy, which has been widely credited with helping Trump pull off his upset victory. Parscale also established close ties with Eric Trump and his wife, Lara, who in turn was hired by Parscale's Texas-based digital firm.