President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner has been criticized for the comments he made on Tuesday on the possibility of postponing the election due to the coronavirus pandemic. One of his critics is Hillary Clinton, who voiced her opinion on social media.
“I can’t believe I have to write this sentence, but the president's son-in-law doesn't get to decide when the election is,” Hillary Clinton posted on Twitter, according to FoxNews. In the same post, she also linked a New York Times article published on May 12, 2020, and titled “Kushner, Law Aside, Doesn’t Rule Out Delaying 2020 Election.”
Clinton’s reaction was in reference to the statements made by Kutcher in an interview with Time magazine. The White House adviser was asked whether the election might be moved beyond November 3 considering the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Kushner responded that it isn’t his decision to make. “I’m not sure I can commit one way or the other, but right now that’s the plan,” he told Time.
“Hopefully by the time we get to September, October, November, we’ve done enough work with testing and with all the different things we’re trying to do to prevent a future outbreak of the magnitude that would make us shut down again,” Jared Kushner added. “I really believe that once America opens up, it’ll be very hard for America to ever lockdown again.”
It was not only Hillary Clinton who expressed displeasure at Kushner’s comment. “Kushner’s statement reveals amazing ignorance of the Constitution and law,” Bill Kristol, a “Never Trump” Republican, also wrote on Twitter. “It reveals startling arrogance in taking for granted he gets to have some say about when the election is held. It also reveals an utter lack of understanding of his very subordinate role in our democracy.”
But the backlash over Kushner’s comments was probably only due to miscommunication. “Some outlets failed to include his full quote, in which he acknowledged that he didn't have the power to delay an election,” wrote The Hill.
Kushner later clarified his position on Wednesday. “I have not been involved in, nor am I aware of, any discussions about trying to change the date of the presidential election,” he said.