Kushner agrees to speak to Senate panel in Russia probe
President Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up Mar. 15 as he and White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner depart the White House in Washington, D.C. Photo by REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s son-in-law has volunteered to answer questions before the Senate Intelligence Committee about arranging meetings with the Russian ambassador and other officials, the White House confirmed Monday.
Jared Kushner has agreed to speak to the committee, which is conducting an investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, including whether there are any ties between Trump associates and the Kremlin, the White House said.
Kushner is the fourth Trump associate to offer to be interviewed by the congressional committees looking into the murky Russia ties. Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, Trump adviser Carter Page and Trump associate Roger Stone last week volunteered to speak to the committee as well.
The White House noted that throughout the 2016 presidential campaign and transition Kushner served as the main contact with foreign governments and officials. Trump associates’ meetings with the Russian ambassador during the transition period have come under question, in part because those who met with him were not immediately forthcoming about the meetings.
It was not immediately clear when or how the Senate questioning would take place or whether Kushner would be under oath. An official familiar with the Senate investigation said that the details of the interview have not yet been set, and the Trump associates will speak to the committee on the committee’s terms. That these Trump associates volunteered to be interviewed does not prevent the committee from issuing a subpoena for testimony. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of the Senate investigation.
Lawmakers announced investigations into possible ties between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials and whether Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
In a House intelligence hearing March 20, FBI Director James Comey confirmed that the bureau has been conducting a counterintelligence investigation into these matters since late July.
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