Senate members want to question #jared kushner, son-in-law of President Trump and his close adviser, for their ongoing investigation into ties between Russian officials – and those with links to the Kremlin – and Trump associates.
This, according to congressional officials, will take place in the next few days, as the Senate Intelligence Committee looks closer at meetings that Kushner had with the Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Kislyak has been featured in many reports lately, since he was the Russian official that both disgraced national security advisor Mcihael Flynn as well as attorney general #Jeff Sessions met with, and whom they failed to mention to when first questioned.
The meetings between Kushner and #Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak eventuated during the transition, and the meeting also featured a previously unreported head-to-head with a key head of Russia’s state-owned development bank. Until the last few days, the White House had acknowledged only the Kislyak meeting in December, which had occurred at Trump Tower and also featured the disgraced national security advisor Michael Flynn.
More meetings and tangled webs
Within a month, however, Kislyak had asked for another meeting with Kushner, yet Kushner sent one of his deputies to attend, according to #White House officials. Then, as per Kislyak’s request, Kushner then met a few weeks later with Sergey Gorkov, the chief of the bank in question, named Vnesheconombank.
This bank has been placed by the United States on a sanctions list ever since Russia's President Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea and began intrusions into Ukraine.
#Hope Hicks, a White House spokeswoman established that these meetings did in fact happen but that nothing of any value of significance was discussed. Gorkov has said nothing on the matter on or off record, and it is interesting to note that he also served previously as the deputy chairman of the board of #Sberbank, Russia’s largest nation-owned bank.
Normal conduct during transition
During times of incoming presidents, members of the president's transition team will often sit down with all sorts of foreign dignitaries and officials. By sitting down with Kislyak, Mr Kushner certainly did not break any laws or impinge upon proper conduct in the #White House.
The Senate panel’s preference for meeting with Kushner to discuss his Russian meetings will make him the most intimate of Trump's associates to be questioned.
He is also the only one currently serving in the White House.
Also, Kushner's role during the #Trump election campaign was to reach out to various foreign governments and officials. Indeed, Hicks claims that Kushner did of course met with many dozens of officials and foreign dignitaries from a diverse spread of countries. She also told the press that of course Kushner is happy to talk to Senate investigators about the conferences with Kislyak and Gorkov. “He isn’t trying to hide anything and wants to be transparent,” Hicks said on his behalf.
And yet, meetings with any #Russian officials and Trump allies are going to be of consequence since several congressional committees and the FBI are attempting to determine the seriousness and scale of Russian intervention in the election and apparent links between various Russians and Presient Trump's team.
