Kushner's
Fav Doc for Info to Give to Foreign Governments
Kushner's Fav Saudi BFF to pass along classified info
(MBS says he has Kushner in a nice warm spot, too)
Lead into a critical story – Kushner leaking
PDB information (highly classified) to the Saudis (media sources: The
Intercept; the Business
Insider; and the Washington Post)
The PDB
must be taken very seriously; sometimes not always, e.g., Geo. W. Bush was told a month before
the 9/11 attacks, in his August 6 PDB, that bin-Laden planned attacks with explosives
and hijacked planes while at he was at his ranch in Crawford, TX.
Note: Does Mr. Trump take the PDB serious
as it written and orally presented, or is it “soft-balled” prepared and
presented to keep him happy and content? One
look inside here.
INTRODUCTION: Until he was stripped of his top-secret security
clearance in February, Jared Kushner was known as one of the most voracious
readers of the President’s Daily Brief (PDB), highly classified document of latest hi-level intelligence for
the president and his closest advisers.
THE STORY: In June, Saudi prince Mohammed bin
Salman (referred to as “MBS” in the PDB)
ousted his cousin, then-Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, and took his place as
next in line to the throne, upending the established line of succession.
In the
months that followed, the PDB contained information on the Saudi’s evolving
political situation, including a handful of names of royal
family members opposed to the crown prince’s power grab.
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In late
October, Jared Kushner made an unannounced trip to Riyadh, catching some
intelligence officials off guard. “The two [MBS and Kushner] are said
to have stayed up until nearly 4 a.m. several nights, swapping stories and
planning strategy,” the Washington Post’s David Ignatius
reported at the time.
What exactly Kushner and the Saudi royal talked about
in Riyadh may be known only to them. But after the
meeting, Crown Prince Mohammed told confidants that Kushner had
discussed the names of Saudis disloyal to the crown prince, according to
three sources who have been in contact with members of the Saudi and Emirati
royal families since the crackdown.
Kushner, through his attorney’s spokesperson,
denies having done so, who added:
“Some
questions by the media are so obviously false and ridiculous that they merit no
response. This is one. The Intercept should know better.” [Peter Mirijanian
said in a statement as spokesperson for Kushner’s
lawyer Abbe Lowell].
On November 4, a week after Kushner returned to the
U.S., the crown prince, known in official Washington by his initials MBS,
launched what he called an anti-corruption crackdown.
The Saudi government arrested dozens of members of the
Saudi royal family and imprisoned them in the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh, which was
first reported in English by The
Intercept. The Saudi figures named in the President’s
Daily Brief were among those rounded up; at least one was reportedly tortured.
Important Note: It is likely that Crown Prince
Mohammed would have known who his critics were without Kushner mentioning them,
a U.S. government official who declined to be identified pointed out.
The crown prince may also have had his own reasons for
saying that Kushner shared information with him, even if that wasn’t true.
Why? To send powerful message give the appearance
to the crown prince’s allies and enemies that his actions were backed by the
U.S. government.
One of the people MBS told about the discussion
with Kushner was UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. MBS
bragged to the Emirati crown prince and others that Kushner was “in his
pocket,” the source told The Intercept.
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Noteworthy: Access to the President’s Daily Brief
is tightly guarded.
(1) However,
as President, Trump has the legal authority to allow Kushner to disclose
information contained in it.
If Kushner did
discuss names with MBS of dissidents within the PDB acting against him, as an
approved tactic of U.S. foreign policy with
Trump’s okay, then that move would be a striking intervention by the U.S.
into an unfolding power struggle at the top levels of an allied nation, or…
(2) If
Kushner discussed the names with the Saudi prince without Trump’s okay, then Kushner may have violated federal laws
around the sharing of classified intelligence.
My 2 cents in conclusion: First, it is noted that on November 6, two days after Saudi detentions began and a week after Kushner’s trip, Trump tweeted his defense of the Saudi crackdown. So, any goal, tie, or link in all this? My first guess would be big Saudi money that Kushner badly needs to help in his heavy debt load.
Overall, this is
serious national security business and not private ore personal business related.
The whole driving force apparent to me and others who dig into Kushner’s
money woes is that he is buying friendship to gain loans for his heavy debt at
the expense of possible national security.
So, what lies ahead (no pun intended) – well, Kushner lost his high-level security clearance, so now it's time to show him the damn door and get him out of government, and forever would be my suggestion. This is pitiful.
Thanks for stopping by.
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