'Impossible to believe': Jake Tapper lays down the hammer on White House defense of Kushner's security clearance

CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Tuesday said it was "impossible" to believe claims by Jared Kushner's defense attorney in reaction to Kushner's security clearance downgrade.

"Is it okay to keep somebody around when the FBI has enough concerns about your background, maybe financial irregularities, we don't know, to say we can't certify you for Top Secret clearance?" former CIA analyst Phil Mudd wondered. "I think the question will be, do we downgrade him entirely and say he can't have a clearance."

Tapper read a statement from Kushner's attorney, Abbe Lowell.

"As to his security clearance, Mr. Kushner has done more than what is expected of him in this process," Lowell claimed. "As General Kelly himself said, the new clearance policy will not affect Mr. Kushner's ability to continue to do the very important work he's been assigned by the president."

"That's impossible to believe," Tapper noted. "I mean, the guy works in Mid-East peace, he reads the Presidential Daily Brief we're told all of a sudden he can't have access to the information he needs?"

"Pretty much it is only the people in the White House who see hit the way," CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins explained. "Obviously Jared Kushner doesn't see it the way, that's why he's been so frustrated with John Kelly and feels like this is a direct attack on him specifically."

"Which it kind of is," Collins added.

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