Jared Kushner granted permanent security clearance
U.S. president's son-in-law had previously had his security status downgraded
White House adviser Jared Kushner — U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law — has been granted a permanent security clearance.
CNN reported the news, as did The Associated Press, citing a person with knowledge of the decision who wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Kushner lost his access to the nation's deepest secrets when White House chief of staff John Kelly downgraded his clearance due to questions that arose during Kushner's background briefing.
"There was nobody in the political process that had anything to do with it," Kushner's lawyer Abbe Lowell told Wolf Blitzer in response to a question about the process of having the clearance restored. "There was nobody who pressured it. It was just done the normal, regular way."
Lowell said the permanent clearance will allow Kushner to access "all the material that he needs, and all the material he got in the past, in order to do the job the president has asked him to do."
The lawyer also discussed Kushner's second meeting with Robert Mueller, who is leading an investigation looking into Russian election interference and potential obstruction of justice.
Lowell said that Kushner answered all questions that were asked.
The first interview with Kushner occurred last fall. It was limited to questions about former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, who later was charged with lying to the FBI.
Kushner serves as a senior adviser on the Middle East and other issues. He is married to Ivanka Trump, the president's oldest daughter.
With files from CBC News