POLITICO: Behind the scenes, Kushner takes charge of coronavirus response
“Dozens of Trump administration officials have trooped to the White House podium over the last two months to brief the public on their effort to combat coronavirus, but one person who hasn’t — Jared Kushner — has emerged as perhaps the most pivotal figure in the national fight against the fast-growing pandemic. … Kushner’s group, which some have characterized as an ‘all-of-private-sector’ operation in contrast to Vice President Mike Pence’s ‘all-of-government’ task force, has had its successes — including airlifting emergency medical supplies to the United States, crowdsourcing mask and glove donations, and rapidly devising a last-ditch plan for hospitals to maximize ventilators. But the behind-the-scenes working group has also duplicated existing federal teams and operations, and its focus on rapid, short-term decisions has created concern among some health-agency officials, according to interviews with 11 people involved in Kushner’s effort, including senior government officials, outside advisers, and volunteers on the projects, as well as other health department and White House officials. Federal decision-making is complicated by the fact that Kushner has the full confidence of President Donald Trump, with whom he confers multiple times a day, while Trump has expressed frustration with some of the leaders of health agencies…” (Cancryn/Diamond, 4/1).