Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law who now works as his senior adviser, held a secret meeting with American Muslims days before the Jan. 20 inauguration in an effort to mend fences, BuzzFeed News reported.
The meeting was held away from Trump Tower to keep it a secret from the public and, in particular, the media. Its purpose was for the incoming Trump administration to reach out to American Muslims and try to improve their relationship after Trump made several comments on the campaign trail that some Muslims took as offensive, Buzzfeed reported.
The meeting, according to the report, went well.
Kushner sought ideas on how to improve Muslim relations with the president-elect, and he even asked for the names of Muslims who could potentially serve in the administration.
Weeks later, however, Trump drew the ire of Muslims at home and abroad by signing his first travel order that temporarily stopped immigration from several countries with a terror presence — countries that also happened to have large Muslim populations.
"We thought discussing our nation's founding values and freedom for Americans of all faiths was the responsible thing to do before Mr. Trump came to power," Muslim Advocates Executive Director Farhana Khera told BuzzFeed. "It soon became clear, however, that unless Trump makes drastic changes and shows he's committed to being a president for all Americans, engagement is not an effective tool at this stage."
Khera was at the meeting, and BuzzFeed reports that an imam, a civil rights attorney, and two venture capitalists were in attendance as well.
A report this week, meanwhile, claimed the Trump administration is looking into how best to vet people emigrating from countries with a terror presence to the U.S. The list of ideas, according to The Wall Street Journal, includes checking cell phones, scrubbing through social media accounts, and even digging into financial records.
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