State Dept Expects Kushner to Continue Middle East Talks
By Solange Reyner
Wednesday, 28 Feb 2018 4:40 PM
White House adviser Jared Kushner will continue to work on a Middle East peace initiative despite a downgrade in his security clearance, a State Department spokeswoman told Fox News on Wednesday.
"In terms of security clearances, that's something I can't comment on from this position at the State Department," Heather Nauert told Fox News' "America's Newsroom."
"But overall, I can tell you that the State Department works very closely with Mr. Kushner and others at the White House to advance one of the president's top priorities, and that is Middle East peace.
"That's a top priority for us and we expect Mr. Kushner to continue his work on that," she added. "It's something very important to the president."
Kushner lost access to his top-secret intelligence clearance Tuesday, meaning President Donald Trump's son-in-law will no longer have access to some of the nation's most sensitive material to which he had access to for over a year while waiting for his background investigation to be finalized.
Kushner was tasked with overseeing the peace process following Trump's inauguration, and traveled to the Middle East at least three times last year to visit with leaders to advance discussions.
Kushner's security downgrade should not halt his role, but it could hinder it according to five former top U.S. officials who have dealt with Middle East peace and who spoke with CNN on Tuesday.
"What matters to the actors out in the region more than whether he has the confidence of the intelligence community is whether he has the confidence of the president," said Martin Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel who attempted peace negotiations during the Clinton and Obama administrations. "The fact that he is the son-in-law of the president gives him a lot of cachet in the region. I have no doubt that he can still do his job — and of course his aides will have access."
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State Dept Expects Kushner to Continue Middle East Talks