President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s trip to Iraq earlier this week was part of an outreach campaign by the Pentagon to President Donald Trump and his inner circle, Politico reported Tuesday, quoting administration officials.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Marine Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—who personally invited Kushner to meet with Iraqi leaders—have been working on forging personal and working relationships with the president and his most trusted advisors.
James Carafano, vice president for foreign policy at the Heritage Foundation who served on the Trump transition team, told Politico there had been friction between Mattis and the White House over appointments, and the Defense Secretary is attempting to repair the damage.
Kushner has Trump’s ear on foreign policy, but is yet to familiarize himself with the “inner workings of the Pentagon,” Politico noted.
“If you want to have a cabinet-level government and people all pulling in the same direction […] you have to build bridges,” Carafano told Politico.