Officials from China, the United Arab Emirates and at least two other countries have discussed how they can control the smelting of President Donald Trump and his close adviser, Jared Kouchner, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
"Foreign officials from Israel and Mexico also sought to exploit Kouchner's business arrangements, financial difficulties and his lack of foreign policy expertise," the paper quoted current and former US officials as saying.
Kouchner's lawyer, Abby Lubil, did not respond to a request to comment on the report.
The newspaper said in its report, published in its issue on Wednesday, it is not clear whether any of these countries acted on the discussions on Kouchner, but his contacts with some foreign officials raised concern within the White House was among the reasons for not being able to Obtain a permanent security clearance.
US officials said Tuesday that Kouchner, a wealthy businessman from New York and Trump's daughter Ivanka, had been denied access to the president's daily briefing, the most important intelligence report, with the White House imposing more controls on access to the secrets.
A Kouchner spokesman at the White House did not respond to a request for comment on the Washington Post report.The report also said Trump National Security Advisor HRM McMaster learned that Kouchner had links with foreign officials that were not officially reported or coordinated through official channels.
The report said that foreign officials' belief in Kouchner's weaknesses was among the points raised during McMaster's daily reports, Reuters reported.
