WASHINGTON — Jared Kushner, a senior White House adviser and President Trump’s son-in-law, lacks the security clearance level required to review some of the government’s most sensitive secrets, according to two people familiar with his access.

For the first year of the Trump administration, Kushner had nearly blanket access to highly classified intelligence, even as he held an interim security clearance and awaited the completion of his background investigation.

The reasons for the constraints on Jared Kushner's intelligence access are unclear. Associated Press/Susan Walsh

But when White House security officials granted him a permanent clearance in late May, he was granted only “top secret” status – a level that does allow him to see some of the country’s most closely guarded intelligence, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security issues.

NOT YET APPROVED FOR HIGH LEVEL

Kushner has not yet been approved to review “sensitive compartmented information,” better known as SCI. The Central Intelligence Agency determines who can access this information, which primarily involves U.S. intelligence sources and surveillance methods, they said.

That has blocked Kushner at times from seeing some parts of the President’s Daily Brief, a highly classified summary of world events that sometimes describes intelligence programs and operatives, the people said.

Kushner’s lack of SCI access suggests that the CIA has not signed off on him receiving that level of intelligence, security experts said. The White House security office has authority to independently grant a “top secret” clearance after reviewing a staffer’s FBI background investigation.

The revelation of the limits on Kushner’s access is the latest twist in his drawn-out effort to complete his security review, a process that has been dogged by questions about his foreign contacts.

The reasons for the constraints on Kushner’s intelligence access are unclear, including whether they are related to the ongoing special counsel investigation, which has examined his interactions with foreign officials.

A spokesman for the office of special counsel Robert Mueller III declined to comment.

DECLINED TO CONFIRM STATUS

Kushner attorney Abbe Lowell declined to confirm Kushner’s current clearance level. He said the White House handled Kushner’s security clearance according to the standard process and that Kushner has sufficient access to do his job.

“After a review done in the normal course by career officials, Mr. Kushner was given his permanent White House clearances in May, and has access to all the materials and information he needs to do the domestic and international work the president has asked him to do,” Lowell said.

White House officials and a CIA spokesman declined to comment, citing their internal policies of not discussing personnel matters.

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