FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the White House on Monday [3-5-18], it will be under clouds of controversy — both his own and those of his hosts.
Netanyahu and his inner circle are entangled in a series of corruption scandals back home that has put his political future in jeopardy… Legally and politically, Netanyahu finds himself in a far more precarious position than Trump. But in at least one big way, the uncertainty and strife at the White House could intersect with Netanyahu’s visit: a central US interlocutor on Middle East peace, senior adviser Jared Kushner, has had his access to top-secret information yanked amid a crackdown on interim security clearances.
That decision came at the behest of chief of staff John Kelly, who wants to bring order to the system of accessing classified information at the White House. Multiple aides and people close to Kushner have insisted the downgrade to a ‘secret’ clearance won’t affect his ability to work on Middle East issues. The visit from Netanyahu will be the first high-profile engagement for Kushner since he lost his ‘top secret’ access.
It was already evident he would play a role in the talks with Netanyahu scheduled for Monday. A day before the Israeli leader arrived at the White House, Kushner paid him a visit at Blair House, the presidential guest quarters across Pennsylvania Avenue, along with other top administration officials.”
-Kevin Liptak, “Netanyahu’s White House visit shrouded in scandal,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Mar. 5, 2018 10:52am