Son-in-law to President Donald Trump and senior White House advisor Jared Kushner has lost much of his clout as chief of staff John Kelly continues to try and bring order to the West Wing, according to a new report by Vanity Fair correspondent Gabriel Sherman.
With increasing pressure from special counsel Robert Mueller, Kushner has appeared distracted at work.
“Do you think they’ll get the president?” Kushner reportedly asked a friend.
Kelly has reportedly shrunk Kushner's responsibilities to "focus primarily" on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Kushner had begun the administration with a portfolio that included reinventing government via his Office of American Innovation, reforming the Veterans Administration, ending the opioid epidemic and leading foreign policy with China.
“The councils are gone," one West Wing source told Vanity Fair of Kushner's plans for scores of business councils.
Two Republicans close to Trump said the president has been frustrated with Kushner’s advice to back Luther Strange and fire former FBI director James Comey.
Three people who have spoken with Trump also claim he has suggested Jared and Ivanka return to New York City to avoid the political media.
"He keeps pressuring them to go," one source close to Kushner relayed.