--- title: Stephen Colbert Mocks Jared Kushner Security Downgrade description: After it was confirmed that Jared Kushner's security clearance was downgraded, 'The Late Show' host Stephen Colbert had plenty of jokes. canonical: https://time.com/5179138/jared-kushner-security-clearance-downgraded-stephen-colbert/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-28T16:15:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:51:00.073Z og:title: Stephen Colbert Mocks Jared Kushner's Security Downgrade og:description: "How will he fix the Middle East now?" og:url: https://time.com/5179138/jared-kushner-security-clearance-downgraded-stephen-colbert/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d8d2d757db206ce/6989291bcf40a850e7c4b7f3/jared-kushner-security-clearance-downgraded-stephen-colbert.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: US-MALAYSIA-DIPLOMACY-TRUMP-RAZAK og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Stephen Colbert Mocks Jared Kushner's Security Downgrade twitter:description: "How will he fix the Middle East now?" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d8d2d757db206ce/6989291bcf40a850e7c4b7f3/jared-kushner-security-clearance-downgraded-stephen-colbert.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Jared Kushner's Security Clearance Was Just Downgraded. Stephen Colbert Has Jokes. > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b3b92b3e-607f-4070-b16d-4b0313983361&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1)  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Feb 28, 2018 4:15 PM UTC  Senior Advisor Jared Kushner waits for a meeting with Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak, US President Donald Trump and others in the Cabinet Room of the White House September 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) Senior Advisor Jared Kushner waits for a meeting with Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak, US President Donald Trump and others in the Cabinet Room of the White House September 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI—AFP/Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Feb 28, 2018 4:15 PM UTC [Stephen Colbert](http://time.com/5177335/jennifer-lawrence-stephen-colbert-take-shots-in-interview/) is well-known for his quips about President Donald Trump, but on Tuesday night’s episode of _The Late Show with Stephen Colbert_, the late night funnyman honed in on another prominent member of the Trump administration, White House senior adviser and the [president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner](http://time.com/4800796/the-trials-of-jared-kushner/). Kushner recently had [his security clearance downgraded](http://time.com/5178490/jared-kushners-security-clearance-downgraded/) from “top secret/sensitive compartmented information” to just “secret,” something that provided plenty of fodder for Colbert’s jokes, which came in fast and furious during his opening monologue. “He’s still being investigated and if the FBI does not approve him, he’ll be downgraded from top secret to Pop Secret,” Colbert said. According to the _Associated Press_, chief of staff John Kelly ordered the downgrade, which Trump did not object to. For Colbert, this limitation of Kushner’s access was another point of humor. “How will he fix the Middle East now?” he joked. “He was so close to starting.” Watch the full clip below. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5179138/jared-kushner-security-clearance-downgraded-stephen-colbert/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5179138/jared-kushner-security-clearance-downgraded-stephen-colbert/"},"headline":"Jared Kushner's Security Clearance Was Just Downgraded. 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