Keep Congress posted about national security vulnerabilities created by Kushner’s failure to disclose meetings: Illinois Democrat.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-IL, has called on acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe to inform Congress of the counterintelligence and national security vulnerabilities created by Jared Kushner, senior aide and son-in-law of President Donald Trump.
In a letter sent to McCabe on Thursday, Krishnamoorthi asked the director to report to Congress about Kushner’s failure to disclose more than 100 foreign contacts on his security clearance application.
Krishnamoorthi is a member of House Oversight Committee, which oversees the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of the federal government and all its agencies.
The undisclosed interactions of Kushner, which have come to light in recent days, include meetings with a Kremlin lawyer offering the Trump campaign information about his rival Hillary Clinton on behalf of the Putin regime.
The Indian American congressman Krishnamoorthi released the following statement on Thursday:
“Today I wrote to the FBI’s leadership to request they inform Congress as to the counterintelligence and national security vulnerabilities created by Mr. Kushner’s repeated failure to disclose his meetings with representatives of the Kremlin and entities closely aligned with it. A full and accurate application for a security clearance is essential for identifying an applicant’s vulnerabilities to bribery, extortion, and blackmail. Additionally, the failure to accurately complete a security clearance application, the SF-86 form, can itself leave an individual compromised to foreign influence, as former acting Attorney General Sally Yates noted about General Michael Flynn’s similar omissions.
In light of these serious concerns, I hope the FBI will provide Congress with the relevant information as to both the ongoing risks associated with a high-ranking official failing to disclose foreign contacts as well as the reasons for such an official repeatedly failing to do so yet still keeping his security clearance. Lastly, I’ve asked the Bureau to make recommendations to improve the process of obtaining a security clearance to prevent these issues and vulnerabilities.”
Krishnamoorthi represents the 8th District of Illinois, which includes Chicago’s west and northwest suburbs. Besides the House Oversight committee, he also serves on Government Reform and Education and Workforce panels.
Additionally, he serves as the ranking member on the subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules.
Krishnamoorthi served as an Illinois Special Assistant Attorney General in the public corruption unit and as Illinois Deputy Treasurer before becoming president of a small business in the Chicago area focused on the national security and renewable energy sectors.