February 27, 2018

Breaking news tonight, via the Washington Post:

Jared Kushner, senior adviser and son-in-law to President Trump, had his security clearance downgraded Friday, sharply limiting his access to some of the nation’s most sensitive secrets amid concerns raised by the ongoing investigation of his background, two White House officials said Tuesday.

Kushner was one of several White House officials who received a memo Friday announcing that because of their interim security clearances, their status was being downgraded from the “Top Secret/SCI” level to the “Secret” level, a far lower level of access to classified information.

The memo came after White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly had set a Friday deadline for all staffers operating under an interim clearance to have their temporary clearance revoked, following scrutiny for his handling of domestic abuse allegations against former staff secretary Rob Porter — who had also been operating under an interim clearance.

But there was uncertainty over whether Kushner would receive a special carve-out or exception.

And here's another breaking story, which probably has a lot to do with the first one:

Officials in at least four countries have privately discussed ways they can manipulate Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports on the matter.

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.

Everything Trump or his family members touch dies.

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