Kushner pressed in Russia probe
WASHINGTON — The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee are saying U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law hasn’t been fully forthcoming with the panel’s probe into Russian election interference, asking him to provide emails sent to him involving WikiLeaks and a “Russian backdoor overture and dinner invite.”
Senate judiciary chairman Chuck Grassley and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein sent a letter to Jared Kushner’s lawyer Thursday saying the collection of documents he has provided the committee is “incomplete.”
The committee gave Kushner a Nov. 27 deadline to provide the additional documents, including the emails and Kushner’s security-clearance form that originally omitted certain contacts with Russian officials.
The request is part of the panel’s probe into the Russian election meddling and whether the Trump campaign was involved.
The judiciary committee is one of three congressional committees looking into the issue, along with the Senate and House intelligence panels. The committees have separately requested and received thousands of documents from people associated with the Trump campaign, and have interviewed dozens of individuals. U.S. Department of Justice special counsel Robert Mueller is also looking into the meddling.
The senators noted they have received documents from other campaign officials that were copied to or forwarded to Kushner, but which he did not produce. Those include “September 2016 email communications to Mr. Kushner concerning WikiLeaks.”
Trump’s eldest son, Trump Jr., corresponded with WikiLeaks that month and, according to The Atlantic, sent an email to several Trump campaign advisers to tell them about it.
Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, and Feinstein, a Democrat from California, wrote that other parties have produced documents concerning a “Russian backdoor overture and dinner invite” that Kushner forwarded but has not given to the committee. It is unclear what overture and dinner invite they are referring to.
The senators are also asking Kushner for correspondence with former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who is a subject of an investigation by Mueller.
Abbe Lowell, Kushner’s lawyer, said in a statement that Kushner has been responsive to all requests.
“We provided the judiciary committee with all relevant documents that had to do with Mr. Kushner’s calls, contacts or meetings with Russians during the campaign and transition, which was the request,” Lowell said. “We also informed the committee we will be open to responding to any additional requests and that we will continue to work with White House counsel for any responsive documents from after the inauguration.”
The letter comes as the judiciary committee’s investigation has stalled amid partisan disputes. The new request is a sign that the panel is still moving forward with its probe into the Russian interference and whether Trump’s campaign was involved.
In the letter to Kushner, the senators noted they had asked him to provide documents to, from, or copied to him “relating to” certain individuals of interest to investigators, but Kushner responded that no emails had been found in which those individuals were sent emails, received emails or were copied on them.