WHOA

Whistleblower Trisha Newbold Told Congress Jared Kushner Had ‘Foreign Influence’ Concerns in Clearance Process: Report

When Kushner applied for an even higher clearance, Newbold said an outside agency contacted her and had “serious concerns.”

White House senior adviser Jared Kusher was reportedly the senior official identified by whistleblower Tricia Newbold whose security clearance was denied due to “foreign influence, private business interests and personal conduct.” The Washington Post reports that Kushner was only identified as “Senior White House Official 1” in House Oversight Committee documents released this week, but sources confirmed to the paper that Kushner was the official in question. During her testimony, Newbold reportedly described Kushner as having too many “significant disqualifying factors” to have received a clearance—including “outside business interests” and “foreign influence.” Despite the denied security clearance, Newbold's superior—Carl Kline—is said to have overruled and approved Kushner's clearance.

Newbold also reportedly said that when Kushner applied for an even higher level of clearance after his initial approval, an outside agency contacted her to ask how her office had “rendered a favorable adjudication,” which she told Congress was a sign of their “serious concerns” about the clearance. An attorney for Kushner reportedly referred questions to the White House.