An executive order to overturn Obama administration's LGBT workplace rights – which President Donald Trump said he never had any intention to sign or impose – was kiboshed by Jared Kushner and wife Ivanka Trump before reaching the Oval Office, Politico reported.
Sources said there are around 200 executive orders drafted by, or around, the Trump administration, but the one pushed by "the religious right" to roll back former President Barack Obama's LGBT protections and legal exemption never had a chance thanks to Kushner and Ivanka, according to the report.
"Some are real, some are drafts of things people like, and some are ideas people from outside have suggested," a White House official told Politico.
Kushner and Ivanka pushed for the White House to release a statement of its intentions, according to the report.
"There are some in Trump's family that have some views on these things," a source told Politico. "That's where the decision is ultimately being made."
President Trump's statement Tuesday night said his administration "will continue to enforce the executive order protecting the rights of the LGBTQ community in the workplace."
"President Donald J. Trump is determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community," the statement read. "President Trump continues to be respectful and supportive of LGBTQ rights, just as he was throughout the election.
"The President is proud to have been the first ever GOP nominee to mention the LGBTQ community in his nomination acceptance speech, pledging then to protect the community from violence and oppression. The executive order signed in 2014, which protects employees from anti-LGBTQ workplace discrimination while working for federal contractors, will remain intact at the direction of President Donald J. Trump."
Regardless of the statement and support of Kushner and Ivanka, religious organizations are still hoping for some reform to free up governmental regulations on them.
"I think they're going to address the conflict that exists currently, which would preclude religious organizations from contracting with the federal government," Family Research Council CEO Tony Perkins told Politico.
"I feel confident that they have an appreciation of religious freedom, and I'm pretty certain they're going to address it. I'm talking to people in the Trump administration, and I know they understand the importance of this."