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Kushner Puts Himself in the Middle of the White House's Chaotic Coronavirus Response – The New York Times, Nytimes.com

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Kushner Puts Himself in the Middle of the White House's Chaotic Coronavirus Response – The New York Times, Nytimes.com

President Trump’s son-in-law has become a central player in the White House effort to curb the pandemic. But critics say he is part of the problem.

Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, has emerged as a central figure in the administration’s coronavirus relief efforts.
Credit … Anna Moneymaker / The New York Times
April 2, (5:) pm ET

  • WASHINGTON – Peter T. Gaynor, the federal government top emergency manager, was about to go on television last week to announce that he would

    use wartime production powers to ensure the manufacture of about , 0 desperately needed coronavirus test kits.

      With minutes until the camera went live, though, he still had to let the White House know. The person he hurriedly called: Jared Kushner

      , the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, who endorsed an Announcement that surprised many officials. Among those unaware that Mr. Kushner had agreed to the use of the special powers? President Trump.

    • At one of the most perilous moments in modern American history , Mr. Kushner is trying in a disjointed White House to marshal the forces of government for the war his father-in-law says he is waging. A real estate developer with none of the medical expertise of a public health official nor the mobilization experience of a general, Mr. Kushner has nonetheless become a key player in the response to the pandemic. Because of his unique status, he has made himself the point of contact for many agency officials who know that he can force action and issue decisions without going to the president. But while Mr. Kushner and his allies say that he has brought more order to the process, the government response remains fragmented and behind the curve.
  • Some officials said Mr. Kushner had mainly added another layer of confusion to that response, while taking credit for changes already in progress and failing to deliver on promised improvements. He promoted a nationwide screening website and a widespread network of drive-through testing sites. Neither materialized. He claimed to have helped narrow the rift between his father-in-law and General Motors in a presidential blowup over ventilator production, one administration official said, but the White House is still struggling to procure enough ventilators and other medical equipment.