White House silent on reported Kushner ‘communications channel’ with Moscow

World Today

Jared Kushner

The White House was declining comment Saturday about news reports that President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, attempted to set up a secret communications channel with Moscow.

Kushner’s lawyer, while not addressing the alleged communications channel, said Kushner would cooperate with any investigations.

CGTN’s John Terrett reports.

Two U.S. newspapers, the Washington Post and New York Times, reported that Jared Kushner discussed a secret communications channel with Moscow during an early-December meeting at Trump Tower in New York with Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergei Kislyak.

Kushner is married to Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and serves as a senior advisor to the president.

The meeting with Kislyak was reportedly attended by Michael Flynn, who became President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor only to be fired for mischaracterizing later phone calls he had with Kislyak.

The Reuters news agency reported separately that Kushner had three previously undisclosed contacts with Kislyak during and after the election.

Kushner’s lawyer issued a statement saying he participated in “thousands” of calls during that time and did not recall speaking with Kislyak between April and November.

People who apply for security clearances, as Kushner did, are required to report such contacts.

Earlier, Kushner was named in news reports as a focus of the FBI investigation into alleged Russian tampering with the U.S. election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

The news reports are based on unnamed sources. They do not suggest that Kushner is a target of the investigation.