Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner lost access to top secret information yesterday and CNN recently reported that the primary reason Kushner never received permanent security clearance is because special prosecutor Robert Mueller's investigation of him isn't complete, but that's evidently only part of the story.
We now have a more complete picture of Kushner's precarious position thanks to the Washington Post which reports that intelligence agencies have recorded conversations of foreign officials discussing their plans to manipulate Kushner.
Moreover, Kushner's compromised position has been the subject of daily intelligence briefings.
Among those nations discussing ways to influence Kushner to their advantage were the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico, the current and former officials said. [...]
H.R. McMaster, President Trump’s national security adviser, learned that Kushner had contacts with foreign officials that he did not coordinate through the National Security Council or officially report. The issue of foreign officials talking about their meetings with Kushner and their perceptions of his vulnerabilities was a subject raised in McMaster’s daily intelligence briefings, according to the current and former officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. [...]
Officials in the White House were concerned that Kushner was “naive and being tricked” in conversations with foreign officials, some of whom said they wanted to deal only with Kushner directly and not more experienced personnel, said one former White House official.
Foreign officials who have their own intelligence agencies at their disposal are not oblivious to the fact that Kushner has financial interests they can exploit to maneuver him and there's no doubt in my mind that they already have.
The Washington Post also reports that questions about "the protocols Kushner used" to deal with foreign leaders has come up during interview with special prosecutor Robert Mueller. Mueller has already indicted several former Trump administration and campaign officials for acting as unregistered foreign agents.
Nepotism in government is bad, and not just because it presents a conflict of interest. It's also a national security risk.
Of course, almost everything said about Kushner also applied to Trump himself. Trump is the ultimate conflict of interest and national security risk. Trump is also "naive and being tricked."
