Pelosi: Jared Kushner Shouldn't Have White House Job
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son in law, should no longer have a job at the White House following his security clearance being downgraded.
"I don't think he should have been there to begin with," the California Democrat told reporters Thursday at her weekly news conference. "The President doesn't place a high value on experience, knowledge and judgment."
Officials announced earlier this week that Kushner was among dozens of White House officials who had their security clearances downgraded.
Pelosi slammed the environment in the White House, with a string of officials serving brief stints and then taking high-paying corporate positions. Her comments follow the departure of White House communications director Hope Hicks. Hicks has not yet announced what her next career steps are but she is expected to return to the private sector.
"What I'm worried about right now at the White House is the revolving door -- it's spinning like a top," Pelosi said.
She called for a closer examination of administration staffers leaving to pursue lucrative careers in the private sector, but acknowledged it is a dynamic that has existed for some time in government.
Pelosi repeated her quip that she used at last year's Gridiron Dinner saying those who want to work in the White House should "know your blood type, because you'll be thrown under the bus."
Without naming Kushner, she questioned those who obtain top secret clearances and work in high positions who could use that access to enrich themselves: "This is corrosion of integrity."
Pelosi's comments come after The New York Times reported Wednesday that Kushner's family real estate group obtained business loans after Kushner met with the company heads in his official government capacity. Christine Taylor, a spokeswoman for Kushner Companies, said Kushner's White House position has no impact on the company's affairs with financial institutions. CNN reached out Wednesday to the White House for comment on the Times story.
© Copyright 2018 CNN. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
