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Jared Kushner Security Clearance: Trump Overruled CIA, NSA, FBI Concerns

Kushner had 40 contacts with foreign nationals from more than 20 countries that he failed to disclose on his original security clearance form — submitting three amended versions before all contacts were documented. Career security officials recommended denying or limiting Kushner's clearance; Trump overruled them in May 2018. A White House personnel security director told a congressional committee that she had been pressured to grant the clearance against her professional judgment. Both Trump and Ivanka publicly denied Trump had intervened, before the New York Times reported he had personally ordered the clearance.

Record summary

Grade

Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power

Executive actions that exceed constitutional authority, circumvent statutory constraints, or weaponize government institutions for political ends. Scale and definitions

Status
Concluded
Incident date
Record updated
Location
Washington, D.C.
Category
Corruption & Self-Dealing
Legal posture
Reported
War-crime classification
Enabling conduct
Verification
Independently verified
ICC relevance
No
Sources
3 cited
Stable ID
trump-kushner-security-clearance-overrule-cia
Victims
U.S. national security through granting security access over agency objections; integrity of the security clearance system
Alleged responsible parties
  • Donald Trump, President; personally overruled intelligence agencies to grant son-in-law security clearance— White House
  • Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor; received clearance after 40+ undisclosed foreign contacts on original form— White House

Key points

  • Kushner originally submitted an SF-86 security clearance form that omitted more than 100 contacts with foreign nationals; he submitted three amended versions before all contacts were included
  • Career security clearance adjudicators denied or raised significant concerns about Kushner's clearance based on his foreign contacts, financial entanglements (including complex debt and equity relationships with foreign entities), and the pattern of omissions on his initial form
  • Trump personally overruled the career adjudicators in May 2018 and ordered Kushner's clearance granted; the White House personnel security director, Tricia Newbold, later told a congressional committee she had been pressured to approve the clearance against her professional judgment
  • In a February 2019 New York Times interview, Trump stated he had not intervened in Kushner's security clearance; Ivanka Trump made the same denial; the New York Times reported the same day that Trump had personally ordered the clearance
  • Intelligence officials raised specific concerns about Kushner's contacts with Saudi Crown Prince MBS and with Chinese officials; Kushner's firm later received a $2 billion investment from a Saudi sovereign wealth fund
  • The White House refused to provide documents to the House Oversight Committee investigating the clearance override; the committee subpoenaed Newbold's testimony

Overview

The security clearance system exists because not everyone should have access to the nation's most sensitive intelligence. The system's integrity depends on the ability of career professionals to make independent determinations based on professional judgment.

Trump overruled that system to give his son-in-law access to classified information over the explicit objections of the CIA, FBI, and career adjudicators.

What Kushner Failed to Disclose

The initial SF-86 omitted more than 100 contacts with foreign nationals. Kushner submitted three amended versions. The contacts he failed to disclose included meetings with Russian officials, Saudi officials, and Chinese officials — people whose governments had interests directly implicated by the policies Kushner was advising on.

The omissions were not minor paperwork errors. They were the pattern of contact that career security officials were most concerned about.

The Denial

Trump told the New York Times in February 2019 that he had not intervened. Ivanka told NBC the same thing. The New York Times had reported that he had ordered the clearance approved. Both denials and the contradicting reporting appeared on the same day.

The $2 Billion

In 2022, after Kushner had left government service, his private equity firm received a $2 billion investment from a Saudi sovereign wealth fund. Kushner had been Trump's primary Middle East advisor, handling the Abraham Accords and the administration's relationship with MBS. Intelligence agencies had raised concerns about his Saudi contacts during the clearance process.

Update log

  1. Updated with Newbold congressional testimony.

Sequence of events

  1. Kushner joins White House; clearance process begins

    Kushner is appointed Senior Advisor to the President. His security clearance application begins the adjudication process. His initial SF-86 form will be amended multiple times after omissions are discovered.

  2. Interim clearances revoked under Kelly; Kushner loses top secret access

    White House Chief of Staff John Kelly revokes interim security clearances for senior officials who had been operating on interim clearances for extended periods — including Kushner. Kushner loses top secret access and is unable to see the President's Daily Brief.

  3. Trump orders Kushner's clearance granted

    Trump personally orders that Kushner's security clearance be approved over the objections of career adjudicators and intelligence agencies. Kushner receives top secret/SCI access.

  4. NYT reports Trump overruled agencies — Trump denies

    The New York Times reports that Trump personally ordered the clearance approved. In an interview published the same day, Trump denies having intervened. Ivanka denies it separately. The contradiction between the reporting and the denials is documented in the same day's news cycle.

  5. Congressional testimony reveals White House pressure

    Tricia Newbold, the White House personnel security director, testifies to the House Oversight Committee that she had raised concerns about the Kushner clearance and been overruled. She said she was one of two dozen cases of clearances approved over security professional objections.

Sources

  1. Trump Ordered Officials to Give Jared Kushner a Security Clearance — The New York Times
  2. Trump personally intervened to grant Kushner security clearance over intelligence objections — The Washington Post
  3. Kushner security clearance: Trump overruled CIA, FBI concerns — The Associated Press

How this record was published

Manually curated This entry was added directly and does not carry an automated audit trail.

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