Democrats gunning for Jared Kushner after Donald Trump Jr. emails released

Kushner, who is also President Trump’s son-in-law, attended the meeting designed to uncover damaging information about Hillary Clinton, along with the younger Trump and campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

“It’s now obvious that Kushner knowingly lied on his security clearance form which is a serious crime yet he still has his job & his clearance,” tweeted Dan Pfieffer, who served as a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama.

“Back in May we urged WH to revoke Jared Kushner’s security clearance because of Russia meetings,” tweeted Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H. “He should also resign or be fired.”

“Kushner’s security clearance should have been revoked long ago, as we urged,” tweeted Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Va.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., listed the revocation of Kushner’s security clearance as a top priority alongside the creation of an independent commission to investigate Russian interference in the presidential election and opposition to any sanctions relief for Russia.

Even before Trump Jr. released the full email thread, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., called for Kushner’s resignation in a statement.

“Jared Kushner is a Senior Adviser to the President of the United States, and as such should be held to the highest ethical standard,” Beyer said. “Instead he has engaged in conduct which would have resulted in termination for any federal employee who was not specifically protected by the President, who also happens to be his father-in-law.”

Kushner, unlike Trump Jr., has a position in the White House from which he can be removed. He initially omitted any reference to the Russia meeting from his security clearance application form. The meeting apparently became public knowledge thanks to his revised form.

Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, still works outside of government in the family business. Kushner is married to Ivanka Trump, who is also a senior adviser to the president.

In May, Beyer led a group of 50 House Democrats in calling for Kushner to lose his security clearance over other undisclosed meetings and reports he had tried to set up back-channel communications before his father-in-law took office as president.

“Given the severity of these allegations and prior revelations that Mr. Kushner omitted meetings with Russian officials, meetings which occurred during a time when US intelligence delivered its assessment that the Russian government attempted to interfere in US elections,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote.

It was discovered Tuesday that Kushner was forwarded an email that expressly described the potential Clinton information as part of a Russian campaign to help his father-in-law’s presidential bid.

“Reminder: only one person who was in this meeting to receive Russian assistance to the Trump campaign currently works for the US government,” Beyer tweeted.

The congressman’s pinned tweet as of Tuesday afternoon read, “Jared Kushner must resign. If he will not, he should be fired.”

While most of Kushner’s detractors were Democrats, a few Republicans added their voices to the chorus.

“Donny Jr is taking the heat,” tweeted Patrick Chovanec, a onetime aide to former House Speaker John Boehner. “But Kushner was in that meeting, got those emails, and later tried to set up secret backchannel with Russia.”

“Why is Jared Kushner still a government employee with a security clearance?” asked David Frum, a conservative writer who has been a frequent Trump critic.

The White House refused to comment on Kushner’s security clearance Tuesday, with deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders saying they have “never discussed the security clearance” of a staff member.