Jared Kushner’s work in the White House will not be impacted by chief of staff John Kelly’s decision to end access to classified information for White House staffers with interim security clearances, press secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday.
“I can tell you that no decision within the memo will impact anything that Jared Kushner is working on,” Sanders said.
When pressed if Kushner needs classified information to do his job, Sanders demurred.
“I cannot answer whether someone has security clearance or not, as we’ve addressed many times before. But I can tell you: nothing that has taken place will affect the valuable work that Jared is doing and he continues and will continue to be a valued member of the team,” she said.
“He will continue to do the important work that he has been focused on with the last year.”
Kushner is a senior adviser to President Trump and one of the highest-ranking officials in the White House. As Trump’s son-in-law, he also has a close relationship with the president that led to him being a top aide on the campaign and in the White House.
The White House has received criticism for allowing about 130 staffers work in the administration on interim clearances.
Among them was former staff secretary Rob Porter, who resigned earlier this weeks after accusations that he abused his two ex-wives surfaced publicly. Porter had access to nearly every important document that made its way to Trump’s desk, but only had an interim security clearance.
