>>> THE FAMILY MEMBER AND WHITE HOUSE AID JARED KUSHNER BROKE
HIS SILENCE TODAY IN HIS FIRST
EXTENDED TV INTERVIEW SINCE
TRUMP WAS ELECTED.
A 43-MINUTE DISCUSSION, IT WAS
OFTEN BOASTFUL, SOMETIMES
DEFENSIVE, AND AT SEVERAL
POINTS, HONESTLY, BIZARRE.
NOW, FOR CONTEXT BEFORE I BREAK
THIS DOWN, HERE ARE SOME OF THE
QUESTIONS KUSHNER WAS PRESENTED
WITH.
WITH. >> HOW DID YOU GET THIS JOB?
I MEAN, IT’S LIKE YOU HAVE LIKE
THE DOPEEST JOB OF THE WORLD.
SECRETARY OF EVERYTHING.
ARE YOU HAVING FUN?
BECAUSE ALL WE HEAR ABOUT IS THE
CHAOS AND DESTRUCTION.
YOU GUYS ARE ALL GOING TO BE
BLOWN AWAY BY A METEOR CALLED,
WHAT’S HIS NAME, MUELLER.
I MEAN, FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW,
LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE LIKE PIN
PINATAS OEFRDS THERE.
PINATAS OVER THERE.
ARE YOU HAVING FUN?
>> THAT’S WHAEZ UP AGAINST.
HE PRESENTS AN IMAGE OF HARD AND
QUIET WORK.
QUIET WORK. >> I DON’T MAKE A LOT OF NOISE.
JUST NOISE IS SOMETIMES MADE
ABOUT ME, BUT I TRY TO KEEP MY
HEAD DOWN.
HEAD DOWN. >> JARED KUSHNER IS POWERFUL,
BUT RARELY HEARD.
SO IT IS REVEALING TO HEAR HIS
OWN ASSESSMENT OF HIS WORK SO
FAR, WHETHER YOU AGREE WITH IT
OR NOT.
OR NOT. SO, HERE IS HOW KUSHNER GRADES
HIMSELF ON THE ASSIGNMENT OF
ACHIEVING PEACE IN THE MIDDLE
EAST.
EAST. >> THE PRESIDENT ASKED ME TO DO
THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS,
WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK
WE’VE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS ON.
I’M AS ON THEPTIMISTIC AS YOU CA
ABOUT THAT.
ABOUT THAT. I WAS GIVEN THE MIDDLE EAST
PEACE PROCESS BETWEEN THE
ISRAELIS AND THE PALESTINIANS
AND I’VE DEALT WITH A LOT OF THE
OTHER REGIONAL PARTNERS IN THAT
EFFORT.
EFFORT. >> A LOT OF PROGRESS ARE THE KEY
WORDS THERE FROM KUSHNER.
BUT EXPERTS SAY THERE IS ALMOST
NO PROGRESS, NO PEACE DEAL, AND
THE PRINCIPALS IN THIS PROCESS
HAVEN’T MET IN THE PAST SIX
MONTHS.
MONTHS. THAT’S ABOUT 25% OF THE ENTIRE
TIME KUSHNER HAS HELD THIS POST.
AND TODAY KUSHNER HAS SAID HIS
OTHER BIG PRIORITY, OTHER THAN
THE MIDDLE EAST, IS REFOORMING
THE PRISON SYSTEM.
HE CITED HIS FATHER’S TIME IN
PRISON AND HOW HE IS WORKING
WITH NANCY PELOSI ON A REFORM
BILL CALLED THE FIRST STEP ACT.
>> AND THEN THERE IS ONE ISSUE
THAT WAS VERY CLOSE TO MY HEART,
BECAUSE I HAD A PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE WHICH WAS PRISON
REFORM.
REFORM. IF YOU HAVE SOMEBODY IN PRISON
FOR TEN YEARS, YOU CAN SAY --
WOULD YOU RATHER THEM GO BACK
AFTER TEN YRS OF NO
PROGRAMMING TO THE STREETS?
IT’S CALLED THE FIRST STEP ACT.
THE GOAL IS TO BE THE FIRST STEP
TOWARD REFORM.
TOWARD REFORM. I’M FOR PROGRESS AND MOVING
FORWARD, AND I’M HOPING THE
PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE AND THE
SENATE WILL BE WITH US AS WELL.
>> HE’S HOPING, AND OBVIOUSLY
THERE ARE WAYS THAT DONALD TRUMP
HAS DABBLED ON AN INDIVIDUAL
BASIS WITH PARDONS.
BUT KUSHNER HAS ACCESS TO REAL
POWER EVERY DAY, AND YET LET’S
GET INTO THE FACTS.
HERE ARE JUST THREE OF THE
PRISON REFORM BILLS THAT ARE
TALKED ABOUT REGULARLY.
THE SMARTEST SENTENCING ACT,
SENTENCING REFORM AND
CORRECTIONS ACT AND AS HE JUCHTD
MENTIONED THE FIRST STEP ACT.
IF THIS IS KUSHNER’S FIRST
PRIORITIES, IF HE HAS ANY ACCESS
TO THE PRESIDENT, HAVE THEY
GOTTEN TO CONGRESS OR FLOOR
VOTES TO TEST THEIR SUPPORT?
NO, NONE OF THEM HAVE EVER
GOTTEN A VOTE ON THE SENATE
FLOOR, LET ALONE A PRESIDENTIAL
SIGNATURE FROM HIS
FATHER-IN-LAW.
FATHER-IN-LAW. SO, LET’S BE CLEAR.
WHETHER THE IDEAS EXPRESSED IN
THOSE BILLS ARE GOOD AND WHETHER
MR. KUSHNER SINCERELY BELIEVES
THEM IS FINE.
OPEN QUESTION.
OPEN QUESTION. THE REPUBLICANS CONTROL
CONGRESS, AND WHEN THEY GET A
REAL TRUMP PRIORITY FROM THE
TRUMP WHITE HOUSE, LIKE TAX CUTS
OR JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS OR
SUPREME COURT NOMINATIONS, THEY
GET VOTES.
GET VOTES. SO IT’S TELLING THAT HERE, THIS
IS THE RESULT.
NOW, THOSE ARE KUSHNER’S OWN
STATED PRIORITIES.
STATED PRIORITIES. WE ALSO WANT TO NOTE WHILE HE
SPOKE FOR 43 MINUTES, HE DIDN’T
ADDRESS HIS OWN EFFORTS OR
CONDUCT IN THE TRUMP TOWER
MEETING UNDER INVESTIGATION OR
ADVISING ON THE FIRING OF JAMES
COMEY OR HIS MISSTATEMENTS
REGARDING HIS SECURITY
CLEARANCE.
CLEARANCE. THIS LIST, AS YOU MAY KNOW IF
YOU WATCH THE NEWS, GOES ON AND
ON AND ON.
SO IN KUSHNER’S OWN PRIORITIES
ON PRISON REFORM AND MIDDLE EAST
PEACE, NO MEASURABLE RESULT.
ON A BUNCH OF OTHER ISSUES, NO
CHANCE TO DISCUSS AND ADDRESS
THE PUBLIC.
THE PUBLIC. SO HERE WE ARE LOOKING AT THIS
RARE SET OF UPDATES, IF YOU WANT
TO CALL IT THAT FROM JARED
KUSHNER.
KUSHNER. WE HAVE TO ASK, HOW DO YOU
MEASURE THAT KIND OF RECORD FOR
MANAGEMENT?
MANAGEMENT? WELL, THERE IS A WAY TO DO IT.
WE TURN BACK TO JARED KUSHNER,
WHO OFFERED THIS TIP TODAY.