>>> THE WHITE PAGODA IS A BIG WHITE TOWER AND A BEAUTIFUL
NATIONAL PARK IN CHINA JUST
NORTHWEST OF SHANGHAI.
VERY NICE.
VERY NICE. THREE YEARS AGO, 2016, THE
CHINESE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED
PLANS TO BUILD A SMALLER
DUPLICATE OF THE WHITE PAGODA
HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.
IN A NEW CHINESE GARDEN AT THE
NATIONAL ARBORETUM IN
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C. AND RIGHT AWAY AFTER THEY MADE
THAT ANNOUNCEMENT, PEOPLE
STARTED TO KIND OF FREAK OUT
ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A NEW
CHINESE WHITE PAGODA IN DOWNTOWN
WASHINGTON, D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C. THIS IS HOW "THE WALL STREET
JOURNAL" EXPLAINED IT.
QUOTE, THE PROJECT WAS DEEMED A
NATIONAL SECURITY RISK BECAUSE
IT INCLUDED A 70-FOOT-TALL WHITE
TOWER THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE
USED FOR SURVEILLANCE.
QUOTE, THE GARDEN WAS PLANNED ON
ONE OF THE HIGHER PATCHES OF
LAND NEAR DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON
LESS THAN FIVE MILES FROM BOTH
THE CAPITOL AND THE WHITE HOUSE.
THE JOURNAL THEN REPORTED THAT
THIS WOMAN WAS BELIEVED TO BE
LOBBYING FOR THAT WHITE TOWER
BEHIND THE SCENES ON BEHALF OF
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT.
HER NAME IS WENDY DENG MURDOCH.
SHE IS A PROMINENT CHINESE
AMERICAN BUSINESSWOMAN.
AMERICAN BUSINESSWOMAN. SHE USED TO BE MARRIED TO THE
MEDIA MOGUL RUPERT MURDOCH.
SHE IS KNOWN TO BE CLOSE FRIENDS
WITH THE PRESIDENT’S DAUGHTER
AND SON-IN-LAW, IVANKA AND JARED
KUSHNER.
KUSHNER. LAST YEAR INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS
REPORTEDLY WARNED JARED KUSHNER
THAT HIS FRIEND WENDI DENG
MURDOCH MIGHT BE ACTING AS AN
AGENT OF A FOREIGN GEOLOGIST TO
GET THE BIG WHITE TOWER BUILT,
SPECIFICALLY TELLING JARED SHE
COULD BE USING HER FRIENDSHIP
WITH HIM TO, QUOTE, FURTHER THE
INTERESTS OF THE CHINESE
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. SHE DENIED ANY SUCH THING, BUT
THE REPORTING IS STILL STRIKING
AND DRAMATIC.
AND DRAMATIC. INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS HAVING TO
WARN THE PRESIDENT’S SON-IN-LAW
THAT HE WAS THE ARGUE OF AN
ONGOING COVERT INFLUENCE
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. AROUND THE SAME TIME THERE WAS
OTHER PUBLIC REPORTING THAT U.S.
INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES HAD
STARTED PICKING UP INTERCEPTS
FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES IN WHICH
THEY COULD HEAR FOREIGN
OFFICIALS TALKING ABOUT WAYS
THEY COULD TRY TO MANIPULATE
JARED KUSHNER, TAKING ADVANTAGE
OF HIS BUSINESS INTERESTS AND
HIS LACK OF EXPERIENCE TO
INFLUENCE U.S. POLICY ON BEHALF
OF OTHER COUNTRIES.
REPORTEDLY, THE FBI SENT A TOP
AGENT TO WARN JARED KUSHNER THAT
HE WAS A TOP TARGET FOR ONGOING
FOREIGN INFLUENCE OPERATIONS.
THE REAL PROBLEMS FOR MR.
KUSHNER BEGAN WHEN HE APPLIED
FOR HIS SECURITY CLEARANCE TO
WORK IN THE WHITE HOUSE AS A
SENIOR ADVISER.
SENIOR ADVISER. WHEN HE APPLIED FOR A SECURITY
CLEARANCE, HE FAILED TO REPORT,
FOR EXAMPLE, HIS MEETING WITH
THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR AND A
RUSSIAN BANKER AND MORE THAN 100
OTHER FOREIGN CONTACTS.
JARED KUSHNER HAD TO REVISE HIS
SECURITY CLEARANCE APPLICATION A
WHOLE BUNCH OF TIMES BEFORE HE
FINALLY GOT IT ANYWHERE NEAR
RIGHT.
RIGHT. NOW IF IT’S YOUR JOB TO DECIDE
WHO GETS A SECURITY CLEARANCE,
IF YOU’RE THE ONE COMBING
THROUGH THE PERSONNEL FILES TO
GET TO DECIDE WHO HANDLES THE
GOVERNMENT’S MOST SENSITIVITY
SECRETS, THIS IS YOUR BIGGEST
NIGHTMARE, RIGHT?
NIGHTMARE, RIGHT? IT’S THE PRESIDENT’S SON-IN-LAW
WITH SECRET CONTACTS HE IS NOT
REPORTING WHO IS TURNING INTO A
MAGNET FOR FOREIGN COVERT
INFLUENCE OPERATIONS.
INFLUENCE OPERATIONS. SHOULD HE GET A SECURITY
CLEARANCE?
CLEARANCE? IF NO, WHO DO WE SAY NO TO?
I MEAN, THAT’S PERHAPS WHY JARED
KUSHNER NEEDED SOME HELP TO GET
HIS SECURITY CLEARANCE.
IN JANUARY, NBC NEWS REPORTED
THAT WHEN JARED KUSHNER FIRST
APPLIED FOR HIS CLEARANCE HE WAS
FIRST REJECTED UNTIL THE CAREER
OFFICIALS WHO MADE THAT DECISION
GOT OVERRULED BY HIGHERS UP IN
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" FOLLOWED UP
WITH THIS BOMBSHELL THAT IT WAS
ACTUALLY THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF
WHO ULTIMATELY INTERVENED SO
JARED COULD GET HIS CLEARANCE.
IN SHORT ORDER, CNN REPORTED
THAT IT WASN’T JUST JARED, IT
WAS ALSO THE PRESIDENT’S
DAUGHTER IVANKA TRUMP WHO HAD TO
HAVE HER DAD WEIGH IN AND
PRESSURE WHITE HOUSE STAFF TO
GET HER A CLEARANCE SHE
OTHERWISE WASN’T ABLE TO GET.
SO HIGH-RANKING OFFICIAL APPLIES
FOR SECURITY CLEARANCE.
HIGH-RANKING OFFICIAL GETS
TURNED DOWN FOR SERIOUS SECURITY
REASONS.
REASONS. THAT DECISION GETS OVERRULED BY
THE WHITE HOUSE, SPECIFICALLY ON
ORDERS FROM THE PRESIDENT.
WE HAD HEARD REPORTS OF THAT
HAPPEN MANAGE THE TRUMP WHITE
HOUSE TWO TIMES.
WELL, TODAY THE OVERRULE THE
SECURITY CLEARANCE DETERMINATION
LIST GOT A LOT LONGER.
THE DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN OF THE
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, ELIJAH
CUMMINGS HAS SENT THIS LETTER TO
THE WHITE HOUSE IN WHICH HE SAYS
AN EMPLOYEE AT THE WHITE HOUSE,
A VETERAN EMPLOYEE WHO WORKS IN
THE SECURITY CLEARANCE OFFICE
HAS NOW TOLD HIS COMMITTEE THAT
SECURITY CLEARANCE APPLICATIONS
WERE, QUOTE, NOT ALWAYS
ADJUDICATED IN THE BEST
INTERESTS OF NATIONAL SECURITY.
SHE IS REPORTING WHAT
CONGRESSMAN CUMMINGS CALLS,
QUOTE, GRAVE AND CONTINUING
FAILURES WHEN IT COMES TO THE
SECURITY CLEARANCE PROCESS IN
THIS ADMINISTRATION.
THIS ADMINISTRATION. CUMMINGS SAYS THIS
WHISTLE-BLOWER KEPT A LIST OF
ALL THE TIMES THE CAREER STAFF
RULINGS ABOUT WHO COULD SAFELY
HOLD A SECURITY CLEARANCE GOT
OVERTURNED BY THE TRUMP WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. QUOTE, HER LIST EVENTUALLY GREW
TO 25 OFFICIALS, INCLUDING TWO
CURRENT SENIOR WHITE HOUSE
OFFICIALS AS WELL AS CONTRACTORS
AND INDIVIDUALS THROUGHOUT
DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF THE
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE WHISTLE-BLOWER,
THESE INDIVIDUALS HAD A WIDE
RANGE OF SERIOUS DISQUALIFYING
ISSUES INVOLVING FOREIGN
INFLUENCE, FLICKS OF INTEREST,
CONCERNING PERSONAL CONDUCT,
FINANCIAL PROBLEMS, DRUG USE,
AND CRIMINAL CONDUCT.
OTHER THAN THAT, IT’S A TOTALLY
NORMAL WHITE HOUSE.
BUT NOW DEMOCRATS SAY THEY WANT
THAT LIST.
THAT LIST. THEY WANT THAT LIST OF 25 PEOPLE
WHO WERE TURNED DOWN BY CAREER
STAFF FOR THEIR KURT CLEARANCES
BECAUSE OF STUFF LIKE THAT WHO
THE WHITE HOUSE, THE TRUMP WHITE
HOUSE NEVERTHELESS INTERVENED TO
ENSURE THEY GOT THEIR CLEARANCES