Senior adviser to the president, Jared Kushner, should have his security clearance "reviewed and very likely revoked" because of omissions on his original background check forms, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Tuesday.
During an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee told the panel the Russia accusations against people surrounding President Donald Trump are growing rapidly and explanations from those involved continually change.
"The explanations continue to shift, this has been of course not just for Donald Trump Jr., but for many in the Trump orbit. All of it I think raises a lot of alarm bells for us," Schiff said.
Regarding Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, Schiff said, "Certainly, it doesn't appear that a lot of the meetings that he participated in and the discussions that are alleged to have taken place weren't disclosed during his background check process. I would presume that from the open source reporting. If that's the case, then I think he should have his security clearance reviewed and very likely revoked."
Much of MSNBC's interview with Schiff revolved around reports in The New York Times that claimed Donald Trump Jr. was told the Russian government had damaging information on Democrat Hillary Clinton before he met with a Russian lawyer last summer.
"If the Trump campaign went to a meeting with the Russians seeking to enlist or receive the help of the Russian government in getting damaging information . . . yes, that would be a potential form of collusion, that they are going to coordinate with the Russians, the receipt, the dissemination of damaging information," Schiff said.
"We need to get to the bottom of this. It would be the worst form of negligence for the Congress not to."
If the Department of Justice investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia results in criminal charges, Schiff said the legal statute that may come into play would involve conspiracy.
Schiff, who began serving in Congress in 2001, added there is more information regarding the Russia saga that's been reported.
"There's an awful lot more that's even in the public domain," he said. "Of course, the evolving accounts from Don Jr. don't inspire a lot of confidence."
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