Democrats want FBI to review Ivanka Trump's security clearance

They say a "lack of candor" has been an issue for the Trump White House.

ByABC News
July 19, 2017, 9:52 AM

— -- Nearly two dozen House Democrats are asking the FBI to review Ivanka Trump's security clearance as a presidential adviser, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., announced Wednesday morning.

Beyer is spearheading the call for a review.

The lawmakers suggest that Ivanka Trump's SF-86 form, like that of husband and President Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner, may not have properly listed his meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya or Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak -- nor any other foreign contacts either may have had.

Despite the lawmakers' request, there is no indication that Ivanka Trump's form was not in compliance. They are merely asking for a review. It does, however, underscore the intensifying scrutiny on the first daughter and her husband over the Russia contacts.

The authority to grant or revoke security clearance to senior staff in the West Wing ultimately rests with President Trump.

"As a member of the White House staff and close adviser to the president, Ms. Trump applied for a security clearance, and, as a result, was required to disclose her own foreign contacts as well as those of her spouse and siblings," reads the letter, addressed to FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe, made available by Beyer's office.

The letter continues, "We learned last week that Ms. Trump's husband, Jared Kushner, and brother Donald Trump Jr. met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and others, including a former Russian counter intelligence officer ... Since his first filing, Mr. Kushner has had to update his SF-86 multiple times to reflect over 100 meetings or phone calls, including with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Russian banker Sergey Gorkov, according to reports."

The 22 lawmakers, according to the letter, "are concerned that Ivanka Trump may have engaged in similar deception. For example, did she disclose her husband's meeting with Kislyak and Gorkov? Did she disclose her brother's and husband's meeting with Veselnitskaya? Did she accurately disclose her own foreign contacts in her initial filing, which reports suggest may be numerous? If in fact she did accurately disclose these meetings, who at the White House knew of Mr. Kushner's and Mr. Trump Jr.'s multiple contacts with Russian officials before they were made public? And, most importantly, did she discuss any of these meetings with the President, and, if so, when?"

The letter was signed by Democratic Reps. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.), Jackie Speier (Calif.), Jamie Raskin (Maryland), Ted Lieu (Calif.), Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Peter Welch (Vt.), Joseph Kennedy (Mass.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Frank Pallone (N.J.), Nydia Velazquez (N.Y.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Alcee Hastings (Fla.), Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), Steve Cohen (Tenn.), Hank Johnson (Ga.), Jim McGovern (Mass.), Alma Adams (N.C.), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), Donald Payne Jr. (N.J.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.), and David Price (N.C.).

ABC News reached out to the White House for comment.

ABC News' Mariam Khan contributed to this report.

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