Investigators are reportedly looking into why Kushner met with a Putin-linked Russian banker
Thomson Reuters
The Washington Post has previously reported that Sergey Kislyak, Russia's ambassador to the US, told his superiors in Moscow that Kushner proposed a backchannel line of communication between the Trump transition team and the Russian government in December.
Current and former Trump administration officials told The New York Times that they now believe that meeting in December could have been when Kushner tried to reach out to the Russians.
Kislyak facilitated Kushner's meeting with Gorkov, who has not been known to act in a diplomatic capacity for Putin. But the timing of their meeting and Russia's role in interfering with the US election has raised questions.
Former US intelligence officials have told Business Insider's Natasha Bertrand that if Kushner did try to establish a backchannel to Russia without going through the conventional US intelligence paths, it would be "off the map," "explosive," and "extremely dangerous."
National security adviser H.R. McMaster said in a press conference Saturday that the US has backchannels with several countries, suggesting that the matter shouldn't be cause for concern.
Trump campaigned on an openness toward improving relations with Putin, specifically in the areas of counterterrorism and ending the Syrian civil war. Sources close to the administration defended the meetings to the Times, citing those causes.
But the reports of the investigation veering into the meeting between Kushner and Gorkov may suggest that the investigators remain skeptical, or unsatisfied, with the answers the Trump administration has provided. The FBI and separate congressional committees are each conducting investigations into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, as well as whether any Trump associates colluded with Russian officials.
Read the full article at the New York Times here >
- A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- FSSAI in process of collecting pan-India samples of Nestle's Cerelac baby cereals: CEO
- 7 Nutritious and flavourful tiffin ideas to pack for school
- India's e-commerce market set to skyrocket as the country's digital economy surges to USD 1 Trillion by 2030
- Top 5 places to visit near Rishikesh
- Indian economy remains in bright spot: Ministry of Finance
- A surprise visit: Tesla CEO Elon Musk heads to China after deferring India visit
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market