New revelation: Jared Kushner used private e-mail for government business
Numerous scandals have rocked the Trump administration in less than a year at the White House. Now, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner is under fire for carrying out official White House business using his private e-mail. Kushner's lawyer confirmed the account's existence in a recent statement. However, there is currently no indication if the account was used to share classified information.
What is Kushner's role in the Trump administration?
Kushner is married to Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump. A former businessman and publisher, he currently serves as senior adviser to Trump. He is tasked with brokering peace between Israel and Palestine and work on criminal justice reforms, among other things.
What do we know so far?
"Mr Kushner uses his White House email address to conduct White House business," revealed his lawyer Abbe Lowell. According to Lowell, Kushner sent/received less than 100 e-mails between January-August 2017 using his personal email account. The subject-matter mostly included articles/political commentaries and "most often occurred when someone got in touch with him on his personal e-mail."
Private e-mails and government business: What's the big deal?
Federal regulations mandate that documents related to the President's "personal and political activities" should be archived. The use of private e-mails for conducting government business is frowned upon, as it makes government records inaccessible for those who seek it such as journalists and lawmakers. Trump had consistently highlighted similar accusations against his opponent Hillary Clinton and vowed to "lock her up" during his campaign.
How does the revelation affect the Trump administration?
The revelation will negatively impact the Trump administration's credibility. While there is no indication that Kushner exchanged classified information using his personal account, this can be of interest to authorities investigating Russian interference in the US elections. E-mails accessed by Politico further indicate that White House staff has often used personal e-mail to communicate with each other and used apps that automatically delete messages afterwards.
