--- 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: 2026-10-12T09:00:50.451Z 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: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ec31cbf9-c1dd-48dc-84cd-797166355f5a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Jared Kushner Security Clearances Downgraded [Watch (HLS stream): Jared Kushner Security Clearances Downgraded](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FCdO0uki.m3u8) (1:56)  _Published 2018-02-28. The security clearance of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has been downgraded, according to two people informed of the decision._  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Feb 28, 2018 4:15 PM UTC The security clearance of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has been downgraded, according to two people informed of the decision.  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. ## Transcript [00:50] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [01:05] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [01:22] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] General [01:38] Kelly respects Jared a lot, so I will let General Kelly make [01:43] that decision, and he's gonna do what's right for the [01:46] country. And I have no doubt he'll make the right decision. [01:53] [ MUSIC ] ```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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