The Note: Kushner's rising profile

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here.

April 4, 2017

MORE POLITICS >

Kushner's rising profile

The Big Story

Jared Kushner is having his moment in the staff spotlight but he, of course, is no ordinary staffer. President Trump's son-in-law is in Iraq, adding another piece to a portfolio that includes brokering Middle East peace, handling Mexico and solving the opioid abuse crisis, not to mention (if you believe scattered reports) sticking up for LGBT rights when it comes to potential executive orders. Much of the scrutiny has hovered over whether his charge is too broad, or whether his influence can be checked, or whether he can effectively shield himself from conflicts of interest. But what of his actual influence? Republicans who work often with the White House see Kushner as a valuable conduit who has the president's ear, a solid thinker who seeks out and acts on input. And, actually to the relief of some White House allies, diplomatic Trump is, well, more diplomatic than campaign Trump. It may or may not be Kushner's influence, but this line from the official readout of Trump's meeting with Egypt's president on Monday stood out: "The leaders agreed on the necessity of recognizing the peaceful nature of Islam and Muslims around the world." We don't know who wrote that line, but we're pretty sure it wasn't assistant to the president Steve Bannon.

The Sleeper Story

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is offering a "review" of all "existing or contemplated" consent decrees that local police agencies have reached with the federal government. Maybe the Justice Department lands where is started after looking at the agreements more closely. But that doesn't look like the intent. This would mark a major pivot from Obama-era policies, where local incidents involving officers' excessive use of force or apparent mistreatment of minorities quickly became federal issues, with all the scrutiny that attends. Going back and ripping up agreements already reached, starting with a delay on the Baltimore reforms reached after the Freddie Gray incident, is a troubling precedent, particularly considering that in some cases the local authorities sought out federal guidance and oversight.

The Shiny Story

President Trump is back to attacking the "crooked scheme against us." This time there's a new player in the thriller, one who's particularly familiar to Trump backers and viewers of Fox News, which is offering new reporting on which the president is seizing. Susan Rice, who was President Obama's national security adviser, now stands accused of seeking the "unmasking" of Trump associates caught up in U.S. surveillance efforts, the suggestion being that she sought to reveal their identities for political purposes. There are plenty of legally permissible reasons for a national security adviser to want more information about who was talking to whom in captured communications. There are potentially nefarious reasons, too. But proof is not yet in evidence in either direction. What is in evidence is that the White House has spent much of the past month seeking to justify a presidential tweet that the FBI director himself has said has no basis in evidence. President Obama still did not order his successor to be wiretapped.

TLDR

Jared Kushner is in Iraq, adding to his expanding portfolio that also includes brokering Middle East peace and solving the opioid abuse crisis, showing his influence on his father-in-law, but also how much President Trump trusts this senior adviser who is no ordinary staffer.