...
By Jessica Kwong
Staff Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The FBI should immediately investigate senior White House adviser Jared Kushner to find out whether he leaked classified information to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he has a close relationship with, six House Democrats demanded on Thursday.
Related: Jared Kushner should be fired after his week from hell, Democrats say
"We request the FBI open an immediate investigation to determine if these reports are accurate and to explore the extent to which information and sources may have been [compromised]," Democratic Representatives Ted Lieu, Gerald Connolly, Donald Beyer, Pramila Jayapal, Peter Welch and Ruben Gallego wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray in a letter obtained by CNN.
Read More on U.S.
The FBI has purview for the "integrity of classified information," the letter states, and "while the President has the authority to declassify and share information, the President's advisers do not."
Crown Prince Mohammed told confidants that Kushner had talked about Saudi leaders who were disloyal to him, three sources told The Intercept earlier this month. According to that report, the crown prince bragged that Kushner was "in his pocket."
"We urge the department to investigate these allegations, and we appreciate your attention to this matter," the Democrats wrote.
During his visit to the U.S. this month, the crown prince attended dinners with Kushner and other members of the Trump administration, a White House spokesman told Newsweek. The White House could not immediately be reached Thursday for comment on the letter.
Kushner, whose broad portfolio includes forging a Middle East peace plan, had his top security clearance downgraded last month.
The president's son-in-law has been embroiled in other controversies, including an Office of Government Ethics-reported White House investigation into loans to Kushner's business after meetings he had with banking officials in his official capacity.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders's issued a statement that attorneys were "not probing whether Jared Kushner violated the law." In response, Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi on Thursday demanded that White House counsel Don McGahn clarify whether his office "knowingly or unknowingly misled the Office of Government Ethics" about that probe.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines