#Jared Kushner inexperienced T-rump adviser

[malenipshadows]

  ***  It's not clear that this is the only time that Kushner will meet with the special counsel's team....  Mueller's investigators have expressed interest in Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a White House senior adviser, as part of its probe into Russian meddling, including potential obstruction of justice in Comey's firing, sources familiar with the matter said.  Even before Mueller took over the Russia investigation, the FBI had been looking at Kushner's multiple roles on both the Trump campaign and the Trump transition team.***

[malenipshadows]

 *** On his Twitter account, comedian Melendez blasted T-rump for allegedly being more concerned with going after him than the staffers responsible for the botch.    “Alright I guess Donald is more concerned with pursuing this legally as opposed as to firing his screening staff,” he tweeted  ***

[malenipshadows]

 *** The Kushners are in private discussions to have President Trump’s company manage at least one hotel at the center of the development known as Pier Village near Long Branch, NJ, USA, according to people briefed on the previously unreported talks. The Kushner Companies and the Trump Organization have signed a letter of intent, though no deal is final and the Kushners are not required to inform city officials.    The long-running talks blur the line between family, business and politics in ways that lack precedent: Both Mr. Trump and Mr. Kushner, the president’s senior adviser and son-in-law, retain financial interests in their family businesses. The Trump Organization’s outside ethics adviser has raised questions about a potential deal — one reason the two-year-long discussions have not been completed. ***

[malenipshadows]

  *** In an unorthodox presidency in which emotion, impulse and ego often drive events, Trump’s ominous moods manifested themselves last week in his zigzagging positions on gun control; his shock trade war that jolted markets and was opposed by Republican leaders and many in his own administration; and his roiling feud of playground insults with Attorney General Jeff Sessions. ...    Trump’s friends are increasingly concerned about his well-being, worried that the president’s obsession with cable commentary and perceived slights is taking a toll on the 71-year-old. “Pure madness,” lamented one exasperated ally. ***   

[malenipshadows]

  *** Kushner’s talks with foreign officials as the company continued searching for financial backing have raised questions.  Foreign intercepts showed that four countries — the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico — viewed Kushner as a White House official who might be easily influenced because of the debt, The Washington Post reported this week. ...   

[malenipshadows]

  *** Apollo Global Management said in its 2018 annual report that the SEC had halted its inquiry into how the firm reported its financial results.  The New York Times reported Wednesday that Apollo's loan to the Kushner Cos. followed several meetings at the White House with Kushner. ***

[malenipshadows]

 *** Kushner, who has been operating under an interim security clearance for about a year, had his access to 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 new information to White House Counsel Don McGahn that led to the slowing or stopping of Kushner's pending clearance application. The nature of that information was not clear. ***

[malenipshadows]

 *** Among those nations discussing ways to influence Kushner to their advantage were the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico, the current and former officials said. It is unclear if any of those countries acted on the discussions, but Kushner’s contacts with certain foreign government officials have raised concerns inside the White House and are a reason he has been unable to obtain a permanent security clearance, the officials said. ...    Within the White House, Kushner’s lack of government experience and his business debt were seen from the beginning of his tenure as potential points of leverage that foreign governments could use to influence him, the current and former officials said.    Those factors also could have legal implications. Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has asked people about the protocols Kushner used when he set up conversations with foreign leaders, according to a former U.S. official. ***

[malenipshadows]

 *** In a five-page memo earlier this month, Kelly directed aides to "discontinue" interim security clearances for individuals whose security clearance applications have been pending since June 1 or earlier. He also ordered access to highly classified information be limited for the remaining aides with interim clearances.  ***

[malenipshadows]

 *** Kushner's application for a top-level security clearance has been held up for over a year in part because it cannot be completed while the special counsel's team continues to probe Kushner's contacts with Russians and his financial dealings with foreigners, the sources said.    During that time, Kushner has been able to access the government's most sensitive secrets, owing to an interim security clearance.  But that access could soon be cut off -- unless Trump steps in with a waiver.  ***

[malenipshadows]

   *** The questions surrounding Kushner’s clearance are particularly acute because of the possibility that his extensive contacts with foreign actors — including travel, meetings with leaders overseas and multiple business ventures — might be relevant to the investigation by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.    Kushner initially failed to disclose scores of those contacts on the standard form required for all prospective government officials, and has since amended his submission, substantially delaying his background check.    That meant that his background information was not submitted in its entirety until June, after the June 1 cutoff that Mr. Kelly set in his memo. ***

[malenipshadows]

  *** Special counsel Robert Mueller's interest in Jared Kushner has expanded beyond his contacts with Russia and now includes his efforts to secure financing for his company from foreign investors during the presidential transition, according to people familiar with the inquiry.    This is the first indication that Mueller is exploring Kushner's discussions with potential non-Russian foreign investors, including in China. ...    During the presidential transition, Kushner was a lead contact for foreign governments, speaking to "over fifty contacts with people from over fifteen countries," according to a statement he gave to congressional investigators.    Before joining the administration, Kushner was also working to divest his interests in Kushner Companies, the family company founded by his father. In early 2017,  Kushner also divested from the 666 Fifth Avenue property that his family's company purchased in 2007 for $1.8 billion. The interests were sold to a family trust that Kushner does not benefit from, a spokesperson said at the time. ***

[malenipshadows]

  *** "Mr. Kushner's access to classified information, even on a temporary basis, appears to represent a security threat," the group wrote in the complaint.  The complaint notes Kushner's previous failure to disclose foreign contacts, which he later amended on his security clearance application forms several times, and that he is a focus in the investigations into whether the T-rump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. ***