Prison reform, peace, and pardons: Jared Kushner’s bold and lasting portfolio

In early May I received a text message from my friend and former colleague, CNN host Van Jones. “Our prison reform bill passed out of the House Judiciary Committee today 25-5 with 9 Democrats in support … Bipartisanship in the Trump era to help prisoners!” he excitedly shared, highlighting a bill that his group, #cut50, endorsed and helped to move forward.

At the time, the prison reform bill — a rare bipartisan initiative in Washington — had received scant news coverage. Neither had the major players involved.

{mosads}“Jared Kushner and Hakeem Jeffries deserve the credit,” Jones continued, highlighting that a Trump senior advisor and a Democratic congressman together made this happen.

Few knew about the effort until weeks later, when Kushner and Jones sat side by side at a prison reform summit at the White House — two unlikely allies brought together by a noble cause. Days later, the First Step Act, which implements evidence-based reform to reduce prisoner recidivism rates, passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support — a cross-party victory made possible by Kushner, who extended a willing hand to the other side that readily received it.  

Though Kushner maintains perhaps the lowest public profile of any official in the Trump administration, he is among the most productive. He works in a West Wing office, alongside a small team, on the nation’s and the world’s great challenges.

Consider just the last 30 days of Kushner-led agenda items: bipartisan prison reform, the long-awaited pardoning of Alice Johnson, moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and another coming visit to the Middle East.

On May 14 the Trump administration made history by moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. For nearly three decades, presidents promised to relocate our embassy from Tel Aviv, but President Trump was the first to turn words into action.

Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, led the U.S. delegation to the embassy’s opening. During his speech before a crowd in Jerusalem, Kushner said:

“While presidents before him have backed down from their pledge to move the American Embassy once in office, this president delivered. Because when President Trump makes a promise, he keeps it.”

Kushner used the moment not only to recognize the president’s achievement but also to call for lasting peace, saying of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:

“We believe it is possible for both sides to gain more than they give — so that all people can live in peace — safe from danger, free from fear and able to pursue their dreams … Jerusalem must remain a city that brings people of all faiths together.”

In the span of a month, Kushner has taken significant steps to make that goal a reality. This coming week, Kushner and U.S. Special Representative for International Negotiations Jared Greenblatt will travel to Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia “to discuss the situation in Gaza and to discuss the next stages of the peace effort,” according to a National Security Council spokesperson.

From the beginning of Trump’s administration, Kushner has sought to resolve the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has bedeviled past administrations. For months he has quietly worked on a wide-ranging plan to bring peace to the region while forging critical relationships with key regional players like Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Kushner’s work already has proven successful, prompting a rare meeting between representatives of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain at the White House.

Between engaging in high-stakes diplomacy and crafting a peace plan, Kushner has made a difference domestically, not only through a prison-reform push but also through a presidential pardon for a deserving U.S. citizen. After months of work behind the scenes, Kushner welcomed Kim Kardashian West to the White House to advocate for a 62-year-old great-grandmother, Alice Johnson, who was given an unduly harsh life sentence in prison for a non-violent drug offense. Johnson was a model prisoner who spent her prison time improving herself through faith and education; after she spent more than two decades in prison, President Trump granted her clemency — a new chance at life.

Speaking on what this moment meant to her, Johnson told CNN:

“I started screaming, and crying and jumping. … It means that someone finally saw me, someone finally heard me, someone had mercy on me — and that was President Trump, and so I’m so thankful for him and what he’s done.”

Prison reform, peace, and a presidential pardon — just a portion of Kushner’s portfolio. As fanciful palace intrigue continues to dominate the headlines, he remains focused on making a difference.  

Kayleigh McEnany is the national spokesperson for the Republican National Committee. Before joining the RNC, she was a CNN political commentator. She earned her law degree from Harvard Law School and her bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University. The views expressed here are solely the author’s.