Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bragged that he had White House adviser Jared Kushner “in his pocket” after the two met in Riyadh late last October.
While the details of Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law’s unannounced foreign trip is largely unknown to those who didn’t attend the meeting, sources told the Intercept that the Saudi royal boasted to Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed about the details of the meeting and said Kushner was “in his pocket,” suggesting that he had a great deal of leverage over Kushner.
The meeting reportedly laid the groundwork for a close relationship between Kushner and the Saudi and Emirati crown princes. Kushner is said to keep in direct contact with them using WhatsApp, a secure messaging app owned by Facebook.
“Without commenting on who he talks with and how he does his work, Mr. Kushner is in conformity with the Presidential Records Act and other rules,” a spokesperson for his attorney said.
Kushner’s attorneys have since warned to him to steer clear of using the app for official business.
Kushner, who was recently stripped of his top-secret security clearance, went into the Riyadh meeting with knowledge of the president’s daily brief. Without Trump’s permission to disclose the information, Kushner could have violated federal laws pertaining to sharing classified intelligence.
Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, before he was fired earlier this month, and national security adviser H.R. McMaster had reportedly raised concerns about Kushner’s foreign policy ventures. “Who is the secretary of state here?” Tillerson allegedly once said to staff, according to the Washington Post.
