President Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner is traveling in Iraq with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Defense Department said.
Dunford invited Kushner, along with Tom Bossert, who is President Trump’s homeland security adviser, to take the trip, according to a news story put out by the Defense Media Activity.
“It is the first trip to Iraq for Mr. Kushner and Mr. Bossert,” said Navy Capt. Greg Hicks, Dunford’s spokesman. “As well as receiving briefings and updates, Mr. Kushner is traveling on behalf of the president to express the president’s support and commitment to the government of Iraq and U. S. personnel currently engaged in the campaign.”
The White House had not released a statement on the visit, but Kushner helped coordinate meetings with Trump in the early days of Trump’s presidency.
The visit is his first visit overseas since Trump was sworn in more than two months ago.
The group will meet with Iraqi leaders and senior U.S. advisers, and would visit with U.S. forces in the field to talk about the counter-Islamic State strategy.
“Mr. Kushner is traveling on behalf of the president to express the president’s support and commitment to the government of Iraq and U.S. personnel currently engaged in the campaign,” Hicks said.
Dunford told reporters traveling with him that he invited both men on the trip to give them a chance “to see our folks in the field, our advisors, our guys helping out with the counter-IED fight, our guys that provide the combined arms and our special operations forces so they can see them in action and have an appreciation for what they are doing.”
