Last week we reported that members of Congress want a criminal investigation into Jared Kushner’s security clearances which were issued against the wishes of U.S. security agencies, at the direction of the president.
We also have reported that his wife Ivanka Trump lied about her husband’s security clearance situation, and that she was also a deemed a national security threat and denied a clearance until her father intervened.
And now this morning the New York Times is reporting that a new book claims that Donald Trump directed former chief of staff John Kelly to fire his own daughter and son-in-law shortly after he replaced Reince Priebus in 2017. The book, called “Kushner, Inc., was written by journalist Vicky Ward, who reportedly interviewed over 200 people while doing research for her project.
The book reveals new details of Trump’s relationship with his daughter Ivanka and her husband Kushner. While Ivanka and Jared have been given a great deal of power and authority by the president during their tenure as White House advisers, the Times says the book describes a much more complicated picture.
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The book claims that Trump wanted Ivanka and Jared out of the White House because they “didn’t know how to play the game†of politics and kept generating negative headlines for his administration.Â
When former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly came on board, according to the book, Trump directed him to oust the couple: “Get rid of my kids,†Trump reportedly told Kelly. “Get them back to New York!â€
Kelly, however, responded that it would be difficult for him to force Jared and Ivanka to give up their positions in the White House without Trump’s explicitly telling them he wanted them out.
The pair have since outlasted Kelly and have remained in the White House months after he resigned last December. This has not stopped Trump from going back and forth about whether he wants the two of them in his administration, however, and the Times describes his desire to see them leave as having “come and gone in waves.â€
According to the Times, the book is a response to the positive light in which Kushner and Ivanka are viewed, compared to the president.
“Ms. Ward tries to unravel the narrative that the two serve as stabilizing voices inside an otherwise chaotic White House, depicting them instead as Mr. Trump’s chief enablers,†the Times reported.
It’s possible that Donald Trump did indeed want his beloved daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared to leave Washington and return to New York City. There have been reports of possible crimes and upcoming indictments for both Ivanka and Jared. If they had stayed in New York then perhaps they would never have committed those crimes and they wouldn’t be faced with the prospect of going to prison.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
