Mueller must investigate why Jared Kushner was declared 'unclearable' by CIA for security briefings: ex-prosecutor

Special counsel Robert Mueller needs to investigate why White House senior advisor Jared Kushner failed to pass the normal security clearance process, a former federal prosectuor explained on MSNBC's "AM Joy" on Saturday.

Host Joy Reid interviewed former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade.

Reid began by showing a clip of Kushner from the summer of 2017 where he denied colluding with Russia during the 2016 campaign.

"My name is Jared Kushner, I am senior adviser to President Donald J. Trump," Kushner said at the White House. "Let me be very clear, I did not collude with Russia, nor do I know of anyone else in the campaign who did so."

"I had no improper contacts," he claimed.

"Donald Trump's son-in-law had so many foreign entanglements that two career security specialists at the White House recommended that he not receive a top security clearance, citing concerns about potential foreign influence on Kushner, that's according to two sources familiar with the matter," Reid explained.

The rejection was overruled by Carl Kline, the director of the Office of Personnel Security.

"If you're Robert Mueller, are you thinking about calling in Carl Kline and asking him about this, given that what's being investigated according to The New York Times is whether the president of the United States might be an agent of a foreign power?" Reid asked.

"I think so," McQuade replied.

"And not just merely to look at whether, you know, Jared Kushner made false statements on his clearance forms, background forms, or are at risk of some sort of security concern, but whether this is part of the same conspiracy," she explained.

McQuade wondered if "the sharing of classified information" may have been "part of this conspiracy" with Russia.

"I think it absolutely fits within the scope of that investigation and so why -- you know, Carl Kline, it's a legitimate question to ask him, 'Why did you overrule the opinions of career intelligence professionals thirty times in this administration?' I think that's a fair question," she concluded.

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