While watching 21st century journalism embrace a modern day witch hunt of sorts, I could not help but notice a few odd coincidences from the first Cold War era entertainment complex, visual anomalies, ghosts of gated political scandals, and Camelots of the past.
So who is Jared Corey Kushner? The short version: He was born in Livingston, New Jersey, in 1981. Jared’s paternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors who came to the U.S. in 1949 from Belarus, and he was raised within a modern orthodox Jewish family. He graduated from the Frisch School, a modern orthodox yeshiva high school, in 1999 with honors and was a member of the debate, hockey, and basketball teams. Jared enrolled in Harvard University (AB) in 1999, and then went to New York University (JD, MBA). He became a real estate investor and increased the Kushner Companies’ presence in the New York City real estate market. His marriage to Ivanka Trump took place in 2009, and they have three children. Their marriage was the result of a business lunch set up by a mutual friend who intended to bring them together to network and benefit their mutual real estate interests. Following the 2016 election, he became a senior advisor to the POTUS, father-in-law Donald J. Trump.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s Son-in-Law, Is Cleared to Serve as Adviser… “Hours after President Trump took his oath on Friday, the Justice Department issued an opinion saying that his appointment of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as a senior White House adviser would be lawful despite a federal anti-nepotism law. In a 14-page opinion signed on Friday, a longtime career lawyer in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel said that the president’s special hiring authority exempted White House positions from a 1967 law barring the president from employing relatives at a federal agency. Some legal experts had raised concerns that Mr. Kushner’s appointment violated that law, which Congress enacted several years after President John F. Kennedy had appointed his brother Robert as attorney general.” – NYT, Jan. 21, 2017
Do Jared and Maxwell Smart look like they could be brothers? Here are a few prophetic clips about politics from Max on the TV show Get Smart during the first Cold War era…
From the same decade as Get Smart, here is a picture of President John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office with his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. We all know their story and how it ended so tragically. Fast-forward to the present, where we have President Donald J. Trump and his most trusted advisor and son-in-law Jared in the Oval Office.
I am not insinuating a malicious prediction for the current Camelot in the house, although there are some politicos that appear to have a disgusting point of view on such matters. Enter stage left, a tweet from John Podesta today, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager from the 2016 election: “Jared better start wearing his kevlar on his back.” What’s up with that?
I cannot entertain for a New York minute that the image John chose to tweet with, Thomas Jefferson looking over Jared’s shoulder, is an accident. For a politico with his experience, it’s a long shot to not be aware of the nuance. A message is sent, and any conclusion of what that is specifically is an individual one. Here is the background on the man in the portrait of how it may be related to Jared’s dilemma:
Jefferson****‘s White House Iftar in 1805 Remains a Matter of Debate Today… “Jefferson frequently hosted lawmakers for political working dinners at the White House, almost always commencing them about 3:30 in the afternoon, shortly after the House or Senate had adjourned for the day. But this gathering, scheduled for Dec. 9, would be slightly different… ‘Dinner will be on the table precisely at sun-set’ the invitations read. ‘The favour of an answer is asked’… The occasion was the presence of a Tunisian envoy to the United States, Sidi Soliman Mellimelli, who had arrived in the country just the week before, in the midst of the ongoing U.S. conflict with what were then known as the Barbary States. And the reason for the dinner’s later-than-usual start was Mellimelli’s observance of Ramadan, a holy month for Muslims in which observers fast between dawn and dusk. Only after sunset do Muslims break their fast with a meal, referred to as an iftar… Whatever Jefferson could have foreseen for the young country’s future, it appears the modern-day White House tradition of marking Ramadan with an iftar dinner may be coming to an end… Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has reportedly already said the State Department will break with recent tradition and not host a Ramadan reception, as it has done nearly annually for two decades… What Jefferson could not have known is that changing the time of the meal to accommodate Mellimelli’s observance of Ramadan would turn that dinner into a point of contention in America’s culture wars more than 200 years later.
It was not until 1996 that the modern-day White House tradition of celebrating Ramadan with a reception or meal started. That February, first lady Hillary Clinton hosted about 150 people for a reception for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month… Clinton described the reception as a ‘historic and overdue occasion,’ a precedent for Muslim religious celebrations at the White House, the Associated Press reported then… The tradition continued under President George W. Bush, who hosted an iftar dinner every year of his two terms in office – including shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when anger toward Muslim Americans was spiking. At the 2001 dinner, in mid-November, Bush emphasized that America was fighting against terrorism, not Islam. ‘All the world continues to benefit from this faith and its achievements… Ramadan and the upcoming holiday season are a good time for people of different faiths to learn more about each other. And the more we learn, the more we find that many commitments are broadly shared’ Bush said.
But it was under President Barack Obama that the annual White House iftar dinner began to cause a bigger stir – in part because the president resurrected the story of Jefferson’s 1805 dinner with Mellimelli. ‘Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been a part of America,’ Obama said in his remarks at the 2010 White House iftar. ‘The first Muslim ambassador to the United States, from Tunisia, was hosted by President Jefferson, who arranged a sunset dinner for his guest because it was Ramadan — making it the first known iftar at the White House, more than 200 years ago…
The bill for establishing religious freedom, the principles of which had, to a certain degree, been enacted before, I had drawn in all the latitude of reason & right. It still met with opposition; but, with some mutilations in the preamble, it was finally past; and a singular proposition proved that it’s protection of opinion was meant to be universal. Where the preamble declares that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed, by inserting the word ‘Jesus Christ,’ so that it should read ‘departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion’ the insertion was rejected by a great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of it’s protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo, and infidel of every denomination.’” – Salt Lake Tribune, June 2017_
Onto the issue at hand, here is today’s Associated Press take on Jared’s dilemma: Kushner’s White House Days Might Be Numbered…
In July 2017, the mainstream media reported that Jared filed a revised version of a form that discloses any contact with foreign nationals, and it was by that disclosure that government officials first learned of a 2016 Trump campaign/Russian meeting and Jared’s role in it. Failure to disclose contacts can cause revocation of security clearances, and if done with intent and knowledge, it can result in imprisonment. A flashback from a recent administration is when Obama’s deputy national security advisor, Ben Rhodes, originally had his security clearance denied from the start because he misled the public regarding the terms of the Iran nuclear agreement, and that story hardly received the same level of coverage as Jared is experiencing.
Jared Kushner’s Security Clearance Downgraded… “ Since the beginning of the Trump administration, both Mr. Kushner, 37, and his wife, Ivanka Trump, the president’s eldest daughter, 36, have enjoyed a special status within the White House as both family members and assistants to the president. But the complicated finances surrounding Mr. Kushner’s family’s vast real estate empire and his qualifications for the foreign policy responsibilities given to him by his father-in-law invited scrutiny from the start. Often seen by Mr. Trump’s side during key moments of international diplomacy and presidential announcements during much of 2017, Mr. Kushner accompanied Mr. Trump on trips to Asia, including China and Japan; to the Mideast, including Israel and Saudi Arabia; and to Europe, meeting with officials in each place. He also made his own trips abroad. More recently, Mr. Kushner has embraced a lower profile as more questions have been raised about his interactions with foreign officials and about his financial entanglements.” – NYT, Feb. 27
Kushner loses access to top-secret intelligence_… “Presidential son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner has had his security clearance downgraded — a move that will prevent him from viewing many of the sensitive documents to which he once had unfettered access.
Kushner is not alone. All White House aides working on the highest-level interim clearances — at the Top Secret/SCI-level — were informed in a memo sent Friday that their clearances would be downgraded to the Secret level, according to three people with knowledge of the situation. The SCI acronym stands for sensitive compartmented information, a category of information that comes from sensitive intelligence sources and must be walled off. The memo was not signed by chief of staff John Kelly, but it comes as the retired Marine general and other top White House aides are grappling with the fallout of a scandal involving former White House staff secretary Rob Porter, which revealed that dozens of White House aides had yet to receive permanent clearances but nonetheless had access to some of the country’s deepest secrets. …’I will let General Kelly make that decision,’ Trump told reporters. ‘I have no doubt he’ll make the right decision.’ … Kushner’s attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement that Kushner “has done more than what is expected of him in this process.’ Lowell added that the changes would ‘not affect Mr. Kushner’s ability to continue to do the very important work he has been assigned by the president…’_
‘He cannot see the President’s Daily Briefing, not a chance,’ said Bradley Moss, a lawyer who specializes in national security law and clearances. ‘He no longer has access to a range of intelligence information that ordinarily someone in his position and somebody with his responsibilities would normally be privy to in order to perform their functions.’ General Kelly took the rare step last week of issuing a public statement that Kushner would be able to continue his work in the White House unfettered. ‘ As I told Jared days ago, I have full confidence in his ability to continue performing his duties in his foreign policy portfolio including overseeing our Israeli-Palestinian peace effort and serving as an integral part of our relationship with Mexico,’ General Kelly said in the statement._
Earlier this month, director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said in a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing that people with temporary security clearances should get only limited access to sensitive classified information. Coats did not mention any specific individuals. ‘Sometimes it is necessary to have some type of preliminary clearance in order to fill a slot, but… access has to be limited in terms of the kinds of information they can be in a position to receive or not receive,’ – Politico, Feb. 27_
Kushner’s overseas contacts raise concerns as foreign officials seek leverage… “Officials in at least four countries have privately discussed ways they can manipulate Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports on the matter. Among those nations discussing ways to influence Kushner to their advantage were the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico, the current and former officials said. It is unclear if any of those countries acted on the discussions, but Kushner’s contacts with certain foreign government officials have raised concerns inside the White House and are a reason he has been unable to obtain a permanent security clearance, the officials said.
H.R. McMaster, President Trump’s national security adviser, learned that Kushner had contacts with foreign officials that he did not coordinate through the National Security Council or officially report… Within the White House, Kushner’s lack of government experience and his business debt were seen from the beginning of his tenure as potential points of leverage that foreign governments could use to influence him, the current and former officials said. They could also have legal implications. Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has asked people about the protocols Kushner used when he set up conversations with foreign leaders, according to a former U.S. official. Officials in the White House were concerned that Kushner was ‘naive and being tricked’ in conversations with foreign officials, some of whom said they wanted to deal only with Kushner directly and not more experienced personnel, said one former White House official.
‘We will not respond substantively to unnamed sources peddling second-hand hearsay with rank speculation that continue to leak inaccurate information,’ said Peter Mirijanian, a spokesman for Kushner’s lawyer. A Mexican diplomatic source said that Kushner ‘has remained strictly professional’ in his dealings with the country, ‘with both sides looking after their interests but trying to find common ground.’ Officials from the UAE identified Kushner as early as the spring of 2017 as particularly manipulable because of his family’s search for investors in their real estate company, current and former officials said. Officials at the embassies of China, Israel and the UAE did not respond to requests for comment.
On Feb. 9, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein alerted White House Counsel Don McGahn that significant issues would further delay Kushner’s security clearance process, according to four people familiar with their discussions.” – Washington Post, Feb. 27
Jared Kushner just joined a really big club… “Retired Army Lt. Col. Jason Amerine, who served in US Special Forces and worked at the Pentagon on highly classified programs, told me that those ‘with only a secret clearance are regarded much the same as someone without a clearance at all. Those who routinely access top secret information in policy discussions have the discipline to carry out the best practice of simply not discussing anything with those who only have a secret-level clearance.’ For any serious discussion of US national security, a secret clearance isn’t much more than a useless piece of paper. With only a secret clearance, Kushner might as well leave the White House tomorrow — at least when it comes to national security matters — because he will be receiving scant relevant intelligence for his work, he won’t be able to attend key meetings, nor will he receive the crown jewel of the intelligence community, the President’s Daily Briefs. ” – CNN, Feb. 28
Jared Kushner Is in Robert Mueller’s “Crosshairs” and Being Focused On “Like A Laser” In Russia Probe, Watergate Reporter Carl Bernstein Says… “’There is every expectation in the White House and among lawyers that are representing other people in Mueller’s investigation that Jared Kushner has many, many strikes lining up against him in the Mueller investigation,’ added Bernstein, who has long been critical of the Trump administration.” – Newsweek, Feb. 28
The astonishing insignificance of the Jared Kushner security clearance ruckus_… “A whole bunch of White House staffers were given temporary security clearances at the top secret level when they first started their jobs, pending FBI reviews of their applications to make those clearances permanent… White House Chief of Staff John Kelly made an organizational decision that those who’ve had temporary status for the past 14 months will have to revert to the status that would befit a) what they’ve been cleared for; and b) what they actually need to do their jobs… The media who are wetting their pants over this know that it’s not about Jared Kushner at all. There are a whole bunch of other people affected by this, and if it’s about any one individual, it’s about Rob Porter, not Jared Kushner. There’s no story here. But it’s an opportunity to humiliate Jared Kushner and cast aspersions on President Trump in the process, so today it’s the biggest non-news in the world.” – Herman Cain, Feb. 28
Regulator Seeks Kushner Loan Details From Deutsche Bank, Two Others… “The state’s Department of Financial Services sent letters to Deutsche Bank, Signature Bank and New York Community Bank last week, said one of the people, who described the letter. Seeking a response by March 5, the DFS asked about the banks’ relationships with Kushner and his business properties, as well as documents and communications about certain loan requests. The broad request, which also covers the banks’ processes for approving loans, comes from Maria Vullo, the department’s superintendent, who was appointed by New York’s Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo.” – Bloomberg, Feb. 28
To top off the events of the day, this just in. **POTUS increasingly finds himself **working in a White House surrounded by RussiaGate folks he doesn’t know and doesn’t trust. Some who may not even voted for him.
Hope Hicks Resigns As White House Communications Director – POTUS losing trusted adviser…
There is much going on that us plebs are not aware of, may never be, or that will surface very soon. My concerns are 1) the wellbeing and safety of the POTUS and family and 2) how long the confidence glue in financial markets will ignore a loss of confidence in continued turnover at the White House and/or U.S. fiscal policies. No matter what Deep State agenda may be in play, there is patriotism, nepotism, partisanism, and nihilism running through human veins in all of D.C., but automated trading platforms that have infiltrated the financial system don’t think, they just execute.
Plan Your Trade, Trade Your Plan
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