President Donald Trump’s aide and son in law Jared Kushner said he couldn’t guarantee the U.S. presidential election will take place on time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic — only to walk back his comment.
The election is scheduled for November 3 by law and the White House has no authority to make a change. However, Mr. Kushner’s remark on Tuesday touched a nerve as Mr. Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden head into the increasingly tense final six months of campaigning.
Asked in an interview by Time magazine whether he could commit to the election being on schedule, even if a second COVID-19 wave breaks out, Mr. Kushner said: “I’m not sure I can commit one way or the other, but right now that’s the plan.”
“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,” said Mr. Kushner, whose title is senior adviser.
Although Mr. Kushner did not say he wanted a change in date and noted “it’s not my decision to make,” his remarks were attacked by Mr. Trump’s critics as evidence of overreach.
Shortly after, Mr. Kushner issued a clarification to NBC News, saying “I have not been involved in, nor am I aware of, any discussions about trying to change the date of the presidential election.”
The election date is under scrutiny given the massive logistical disruption caused by COVID-19 lockdowns and the risk that voters will stay away from crowded polling stations. However, both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden have said they see no change in date happening.
Hacking by China
U.S. authorities also warned healthcare and scientific researchers on Wednesday that Chinese-backed hackers were attempting to steal research and intellectual property related to treatments and vaccines for COVID-19. Organisations researching the disease were warned of “likely targeting and network compromise by the People’s Republic of China,” a statement from the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said.
The two organizations gave no evidence or examples of their allegation against Beijing.
