Ivanka Trump SCANDAL: President grants his daughter security clearance after staff REFUSE
FIRST Daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner have reportedly been granted security clearances by the President himself after his staff refused.
Ivanka granted security clearance by Donald Trump says reporter
Donald Trump pressured his chief of staff John Kelly and White House counsel Donald McGahn to grant the clearances against their recommendation, according to CNN who cited three sources. Both men allegedly refused to grant the clearances, leading Trump to award them himself. Whilst Trump has the legal authority to grant clearances, most are left up to the White House personnel security office, which determines whether an individual should be granted one after a full FBI check.
Concerns were allegedly raised by the personnel office, so Trump pushed his two staffers to make the decision so it would not seem like he was meddling to give special treatment to his family.
However, after they both refused he stepped in anyway, according to CNN.
These claims come after a report in the New York Times that alleged Trump ordered Mr Kelly to grant Mr Kushner a top-secret security clearance.
Senior administration officials were apparently troubled by the order and Mr Kelly wrote an internal memo about it.
However, Ivanka claimed her father had “no involvement” in her or her husband getting clearances in an ABC News interview last month.
Several sources told CNN that it is possible she was unaware of red flags raised in her background check process or the President’s involvement.
According to one source she “did not seek, nor have, outside counsel involved in her process as no issues were ever raised”.
The President has also denied having any role in Mr Kushner getting a security clearance.
WhiteHouse press secretary Sarah Sanders said: “We don’t comment on security clearances.
“We cannot respond to every anonymous source.”
Yesterday, the White House rejected a request from House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, who asked for documents regarding the security clearance process.
White House counsel Pat Cipollone said the request was “without legal support, clearly premature and suggests a breach of the constitutionally required accommodation process.