U.S.

NYT: Trump Told Staff To Give Kushner Top-Secret Clearance

Former White House chief of staff John Kelly wrote in a memo he was "ordered" to grant Jared Kushner clearance, according to The New York Times.

NYT: Trump Told Staff To Give Kushner Top-Secret Clearance
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The New York Times reports President Donald Trump told his chief of staff to grant Jared Kushner top-secret security clearance last year.

That reportedly prompted former White House chief of staff John Kelly to write a memo about how he was "ordered" to grant clearance to the president's son-in-law and senior adviser.

In January, the House oversight committee opened an investigation into the White House's security clearance approval process and why it appeared to have ignored security procedures already in place. 

President Trump told the Times back in January that he hadn't had any role in getting his son-in-law clearance.

The president has the power to give someone clearance, but the decision is usually left to the White House's security office after the FBI conducts a background check. Sources told the Times that officials were split on giving Kushner top-secret clearance, and that the White House Counsel's Office was against the move.

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.