Donald Trump’s former campaign manager said Tuesday that any inquiries into getting security clearances for President-elect Donald Trump’s adult children would have been made “very informally.”
“I am not intimately aware of that particular line of questioning … but I only know what I read, which is that the inquiries were made very informally,” Kellyanne Conway, who is now part of the presidential transition team, said on NBC’s “Today” program.
Ms. Conway had been asked if the president-elect’s transition team had reached out to ask about getting security clearances for three of Mr. Trump’s children — Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka — and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law. All four are part of the transition team.
“We are filled with questions in the Trump transition, and that’s just very logical,” she said. “I know everybody’s very concerned about security, which is a slightly separate matter.”
“But at the same time, I am sure that the Trump children will be there to support their father in informal capacities, and I think these are just regular inquiries among many that are made when folks are transitioning into a new administration — for the Trump family, a new city,” Ms. Conway said.
“Somebody leaked it — I don’t know if to embarrass or stir up trouble,” Ms. Conway said in a separate interview on “Fox & Friends.”
Mr. Trump’s adult children have been intimately involved with the family business, and having access to state secrets or classified information could seemingly present conflicts if that’s where they return after assisting in the presidential transition efforts.
Such a move could also invite charges of nepotism from critics.
“I know that they will make public what their decisions are,” Ms. Conway said on Fox Business. “But obviously, they have a team of advisers who are counseling them on how best to do this.”
“They are full, small-p partners within the company,” she said. “This has been a family business at the Trump organization for decades. They all have very senior roles.”
“This is an uber successful family as entrepreneurs and business people, but you can expect them to support [the] presidency,” Ms. Conway said.
Sen. Bob Corker, Tennessee Republican and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Tuesday he doesn’t see it happening anyway, which would presumably head off related conflicts.
“My understanding is they didn’t actually make that request,” Mr. Corker said on “CBS This Morning.” “They asked if it was appropriate, or at least that’s what one of his aides had mentioned. But my guess is that’s not going to happen. I don’t think that’s the norm, and so that conflict likely would not exist.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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