(CNN) President Donald Trump commanded his then-chief of staff, John Kelly, to grant Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior presidential adviser, a top-secret security clearance despite concerns from intelligence officials, The New York Times reported Thursday, citing four people briefed on the matter. Trump's command to Kelly came last May, the day after the White House Counsel's Office urged him not to grant Kushner the clearance, the Times reported. Kelly did not respond to the Times' request for comment. A spokesperson for Kushner's attorney Abbe Lowell disputed the Times' characterization of Kushner's security clearance process. "In 2018, White House and security clearance officials affirmed that Mr. Kushner's security clearance was handled in the regular process with no pressure from anyone," spokesperson Peter Mirijanian told CNN in a statement.

Source: CNN March 01, 2019 00:27 UTC