White House senior adviser Jared Kushner listens as Assistant to the President Chris Liddell speaks at the opening session of the White House meeting with technology Chief Executive Officers to mark "technology... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — Jared Kushner spoke in public on Monday. And that alone counted as news. 
 
 In a White House full of loud voices, the powerful senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump tends to keep his mouth shut. He shuns televised interviews, avoids public speeches and rarely addresses a meeting when cameras are rolling, preferring to work behind the scenes. 
 
 So Washington took notice Monday when Kushner presided over a White House meeting of technology executives and actually took the microphone. It took a few moments for Kushner to get the attention of the dozens of suited executives gathered in an ornate room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. But eventually the room quieted and he could finally be heard. 
 
 The slim, stylish former real estate executive addressed the crowd in a soft but confident tenor, revealing the New York influences around his vowels. He pledged that "by modernizing these systems we will meaningfully improve the lives of tens of millions of Americans." 
 
 News outlets pounced. "Jared Kushner Actually Has A Voice," read a headline on the Huffington Post. Time's online headline read: "Hear Jared Kushner Speak in a Rare Public Appearance." 
 
 Kushner sometimes speaks at sanctioned background briefings for reporters. He also briefly popped in to an interview that his wife, Ivanka Trump, did with CBS at the White House last month. He declined to join the interview, but when asked if he enjoyed their late-night walks on the Washington Mall, Kushner said: "Beautiful. Great company. Beautiful scenery." 
 
 While his public speaking has been limited at best, Kushner has been busy with an expansive policy portfolio, charged with modernizing government and leading an effort to broker a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. He will head to the Middle East this week to take part in talks toward that goal. 
 
 Kushner has also come under scrutiny for his contacts with Russians during the transition as part of the widening probes into whether Trump's team coordinated with Moscow during the election. Kushner has denied any improper contacts with Russia. ||||| White House senior adviser Jared Kushner speaking to leaders of technology companies. Thomson Reuters Jared Kushner on Monday spoke publicly for the first time in his role as senior adviser to President Donald Trump. 
 
 Kushner, who is also Trump's son-in-law, has been tasked with overseeing several Trump administration initiatives, including brokering peace in the Middle East, revamping the federal government, tackling the opioid epidemic, and heading the Office of American Innovation. 
 
 During his remarks on Monday, Kushner spoke about actions the administration was taking to improve government efficiency. 
 
 "To date, we've been working with hundreds of talented civil servants, men and women who want to serve their country and see their government do better," he told a group of tech leaders. "We have challenged ourselves to pursue change that will provide utility to Americans far beyond our tenure here. 
 
 "Together, we have set ambitious goals and empowered interagency teams to tackle our objectives," he continued. "It's working, and it's very exciting." 
 
 Here's a clip of Kushner's remarks: 
 
 Recent reports have said Kushner is considering shaking up his legal team and stacking it with experienced criminal attorneys as multiple investigations into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia have widened in scope. 
 
 Kushner is well-known for refraining from speaking in public or when the cameras are rolling. While he sometimes spoke publicly as a businessman, and once made a quick cameo in a May interview his wife, Ivanka Trump, gave with CBS This Morning, this was the first on-camera speech Kushner gave as a member of the Trump administration. 
 
 We put together a playlist of all the videos we could find of Kushner speaking in public, and comedic bits parodying his silence: ||||| For a White House adviser with such an expansive portfolio, Jared Kushner is rarely heard. 
 
 President Trump's son-in-law delivered remarks on camera at a summit that brought leaders in the tech industry to the White House on Monday. 
 
 At the summit, Kushner discussed the Trump Administration's efforts to modernize the systems of the federal government and called on the tech industry to help. 
 
 "We will unleash the creativity of the private sector to provide citizen services in a way that has never happened before," Kushner said Monday. He also discussed a recently announced plan to overhaul the veteran medical records' system by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. 
 
 Kushner has emerged as a key figure in Trump world, known for having the President's trust and his ear. In his role as senior adviser, he has been tasked with tackling criminal justice reform policy and brokering Middle East peace by his father-in-law-slash-boss. ||||| Behold! Jared Kushner finally speaks! 
 
 In April, John Oliver made this point about President Donald Trump’s Senior White House adviser and son-in-law: “For someone with the amount of power that [Kushner] has, have you ever heard him speak? Seriously, what does his voice sound like? You don’t know, do you?” 
 
 Oliver proceeded to show footage of Kushner with Gilbert Gottfried’s voice dubbed on top, because honestly, unless you’re a diehard Gossip Girl fan, who was to know what this incredibly influential man sounds like? 
 
 That is, until today. 
 
 Kushner, who was recently implicated in alleged dealings with the Russian government, spoke at the White House in honor of Technology Week. 
 
 “Before I came to Washington, many warned me that the bureaucracy would resist any change that we tried to implement,” he says in his public speech. “So far, I have found exactly the opposite.” 
 
 You can listen to him speak below. 
 
 And here’s how Twitter reacted to the sound of his voice. ||||| Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, on Monday spoke about the need to modernize technology and data used by the federal government. 
 
 Appearing at an event at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, a massive, outdated facility that sits next to the White House, Kushner recounted the obsolete systems used by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
 
 “Most services still use paper forms, including 90 percent of health care applications. Our veterans deserve better, and that’s what we’re going to deliver,” he said. 
 
 Among his many other responsibilities, Kushner was tapped to lead “a SWAT team of strategic consultants” who are tasked with bringing business ideas to the federal government. 
 
 Unlike his father-in-law or his wife, Ivanka Trump, however, Kushner has kept a low profile. He rarely speaks in public, and he does not tweet.
– Jared Kushner spoke in public on Monday. And that alone counted as news. In a White House full of loud voices, the powerful senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump tends to keep his mouth shut, the AP reports. He shuns televised interviews, avoids public speeches and rarely addresses a meeting when cameras are rolling, preferring to work behind the scenes. So Washington took notice Monday when Kushner presided over a White House meeting of technology executives and actually took the microphone. It took a few moments for Kushner to get the attention of the dozens of suited executives gathered in an ornate room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. But eventually the room quieted and he could finally be heard. The slim, stylish former real estate executive addressed the crowd in a soft but confident tenor, revealing the New York influences around his vowels. News outlets pounced. "Jared Kushner Actually Has A Voice," read a headline on the Huffington Post. Time's online headline read: "Hear Jared Kushner Speak in a Rare Public Appearance." And the Daily Beast's: "This Is What Jared Kushner’s Voice Sounds Like." Kushner sometimes speaks at sanctioned background briefings for reporters. He also briefly popped in to an interview that his wife, Ivanka Trump, did with CBS at the White House last month. He declined to join the interview, but when asked if he enjoyed their late-night walks on the Washington Mall, Kushner said: "Beautiful. Great company. Beautiful scenery." Business Insider, though, notes that this is Kushner's first time giving an on-camera speech in his White House role. While his public speaking has been limited at best, Kushner has been busy with an expansive policy portfolio, charged with modernizing government and leading an effort to broker a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.