With news that Ivanka Trump pushed her father to grant her husband a security clearance over the objections of security officials, Trump’s tone-deaf attack on the guaranteed jobs provision of AOC’s Green New Deal looks even more disingenuous and dishonest. Or maybe just ridiculously stupid.
You may recall that last week, Fox News released a clip of Princess Trump attacking the Green New Deal:
TRUMP: I don’t think most Americans, in their heart, want to be given something. I’ve spent a lot of time traveling around this country over the last four years. People want to work for what they get.
Trump was deservedly ridiculed for this hypocrisy.
Since then, we have learned that Daddy’s little girl not only helped get her husband a security clearance he didn’t qualify for but she lied about it. The Washington Post has the overview:
The Washington Post has confirmed that Trump directed then-White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly last year to get a top-secret security clearance for his son-in-law and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner. That clearance had been held up for a year over concerns of career intelligence officials. Kelly, who was apparently uncomfortable with the whole situation, documented the request in an memo. The New York Times, which broke the news, reports that then-White House counsel Donald McGahn did the same.
That Times report strongly suggests that Ivanka and Jared pushed Daddy into overriding the intelligence professionals in order to grant Jared something - not by working for it on his own but by virtue of being a relative:
Mr. Kushner and Ms. Trump both complained to the president about the situation, current and former administration officials said. In Mr. Kushner’s case, Mr. Trump would often turn to other aides and say in frustration, “Why isn’t this getting done?” according to a former administration official. On at least one occasion, the president asked another senior official if the person could sort out the issue. That official said no, according to this account.
When asked about it last month, Ivanka Trump insisted neither she nor Jared received any special treatment for security clearances: “The president had no involvement pertaining to my clearance or my husband’s clearance,” she insisted to ABC’s Abby Huntsman.
Tonight, the full Ivanka Trump interview was aired on Fox's The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton. It was obviously recorded before the Times report. But Hilton could have tagged on a comment about the security clearances. Instead, he ignored the controversy. Which only grants it more credibility and Ivanka even less.
Watch the nepotism poster child talk about the importance of (other people) working for what they get and her dishonest denial about her husband’s security clearance below, from the March 3, 2019 The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton. Underneath are Trump's comments about the security clearances from the February 8, 2019 The View.
