“They were careless people...they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Morning Joe focused in on Trump overriding the clearance process to give Jared and Ivanka security clearance:
MAGGIE HABERMAN: Did you tell General Kelly or anyone else at the White House to overrule security officials?
TRUMP: I don't think I have the authority to do that. I'm not sure I do. But I wouldn't do it. Jared's a good -- I was never involved with his security. I know that he -- just from as issues back and forth about security for numerous people actually, but I don't want to get involved in that stuff.
IVANKA: The president had no involvement pertaining to my clearance or my husband's clearance.
ABBY HUNTSMAN: So no special treatment?
IVANKA: No!
"I mean, Ken Dilanian, it's so funny watching the Republicans on Capitol Hill act so shocked and stunned and be so deeply saddened that Michael Cohen told a couple of lies," Joe Scarborough said.
"Again, the president lies every day, lies repeatedly every day, lies about North Korean dictators brutalizing and killing an American college student. He's reckless abroad and he's reckless at home. I was on the Armed Services committee, this is a really serious process and the recklessness and the lying by Ivanka and Donald Trump show once given they are just extraordinarily reckless people in charge of some of the most sensitive secrets in the United States government.
"About a month ago, NBC News reported that two security officials inside the White House took a look at his clearance and recommended denying it," Ken Delanian replied.
"Let's not forget the Washington Post reported that U.S. intelligence picked up information that four countries thought that they could influence Jared Kushner through financial or other considerations. Those were intelligence reports. So all this information was in the hands of these people and they said no, he can't have a top secret clearance. And they were overruled by their supervisor. Now, what the Post and the Times are reporting today is that the reason that man overruled these people is because Donald Trump ordered it. And he ordered his White House counsel and chief of staff to make it happen, and they did. And they memorialized it because they were deeply concerned about it.
"It's important to note here, Joe, that President Trump had the absolute legal right to do this. This is a reminder of the awesome power the American people have entrusted in Donald J. Trump. But instead of just owning it and announcing that he was going to do this and override the system, he lied about it and his daughter lied about it. And there is a real public policy concern here. Because even though he had a right to do it, career people have decided that Jared Kushner did not merit the trust to see the nation's secrets and Donald Trump decided otherwise and now he's got them.
"Here's an important qualifier, though. The CIA never granted Jared Kushner, our reporting shows and the Post says this as well, the CIA never granted him that SCI designation, which is the richest and best intelligence that top officials review. He doesn't have that, unless the president is handing it to him despite his lack of a clearance."
Well OF COURSE Trump's handing top intelligence to Kushner! Is this even a question? Remember, Jared is the same guy who wanted to a secured facility for him to talk with the Russians without being monitored. What scruples, what interests would indicate otherwise? And then Jared takes that information and shares it with the people who are bailing out his failing businesses.
And Ivanka insists it never happened.
You can really understand why the French Revolution happened.
