“This was a personal issue and not for public consumption,” he wrote. “With the exception of Ivanka, Avi, Cassidy and Mulvaney, I have not told anyone in the White House — including the president,” he wrote, referring to his wife, Ivanka Trump; two of his assistants; and Mick Mulvaney, then the White House chief of staff.
Mr. Kushner was an aide to the president and had a title, senior adviser, which only referred to his ubiquitous role in his father-in-law’s White House. Still, some veterans of previous administrations said that because Mr. Kushner was not an elected official, he was under no obligation to disclose the information.
David Axelrod, the chief strategist in President Barack Obama’s White House, said from his perspective, “If it didn’t affect his performance, it was a personal matter and he was under no obligation to disclose it. Unlike business entanglements or investments that could create a conflict of interest, this was a personal, medical matter.”
In the excerpt, Mr. Kushner described concentrating on the work, trying “not to think about the upcoming surgery or the unwanted growth in my body. As I thought about it, I reminded myself that it is in the hands of God and the doctors and that I had no control over whatever happened, sometimes I found myself wondering if I would need extensive treatment.”
Mr Trump was never known for his discretion about other people’s secrets. But even though Mr. Kushner didn’t tell Mr. Trump about his diagnosis, he found out, though he didn’t seem to have shared it.
“The day before surgery, Trump called me to the Oval Office and motioned for his team to close the door. “Are you nervous about the surgery?” he asked,” wrote Mr. Kushner.