- Jared Kushner has recruited a team of individuals, including friends and people from the private sector, to help the White House with its coronavirus response, according to a New York Times report.
- Along with an unnamed senior official describing his team as a "frat party," some of Kushner's recruits have used their personal email accounts to discuss national policy, The Times wrote. They also allegedly arranged high-level meetings on a website called FreeConferenceCall.com.
- According to The New York Times, the culture clash between his recruits from the private sector and the public sector has been "jarring."
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Jared Kushner's coronavirus recruits have been lax with their communications, using personal email accounts and arranging meetings on a website called FreeConferenceCall.com, according to The New York Times.
Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a senior White House advisor, has enlisted dozens to help the White House direct its coronavirus response.
He put his recruits in key positions, The Times wrote, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He calls them the "impact team," The Times wrote, while FEMA veterans call them the "Slim Suit Crowd." According to The Times, "the culture clash between public and private sectors has been jarring."
Along with his team being described as a "frat party," by an unnamed senior official in The Times' story, some of them have used their personal email accounts when discussing policy. The article did not say how many or give further details about the personal email use.
It also said at some point some of the team arranged high-level meetings on a website called FreeConferenceCall.com - a free website used to make conference calls. Watchdog groups told The Times that personal email accounts and the conference call website were not secure and in violation of federal communication laws.
Another example of the clash public and private was through one of Kushner's recruits called Nat Turner, who founded a technology company called Flatiron Health that works with cancer patients and oncologists.
As Turner attempted to help, employees of Flatiron Health were brought in and gave orders to health officials, which did not go down smoothly, according to an unnamed senior official in The Times story.
In a relatively rare public appearance, Kushner told reporters at a White House daily briefing on Thursday: "The president also instructed me to make sure that I break down every barrier needed to make sure that teams can succeed."
The White House could not immediately be reached for comment.
Read the full New York Times story here »
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