Kushner, Flynn met with Russian envoy
Two of Trump’s top advisers held undisclosed meeting as U.S. imposed sanctions
WASHINGTON— Michael Flynn, then Donald Trump’s incoming national security adviser, had a previously undisclosed meeting with the Russian ambassador in December to “establish a line of communication” between the new administration and the Russian government, the White House said Thursday.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and now a senior adviser, also participated in the meeting at Trump Tower with Flynn and Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador. But among Trump’s inner circle, it is Flynn who appears to have been the main interlocutor with the Russian envoy — the two were in contact during the campaign and the transition, Kislyak as well as current and former U.S. officials have said.
But the extent and frequency of their contacts remain unclear, and the disclosure of the meeting at Trump Tower adds to the emerging picture of how the relationship between Trump’s incoming team and Moscow was evolving to include some of the president-elect’s most trusted advisers.
The White House has repeatedly sought to play down any connections with Kislyak. Attorney General Jeff Sessions acknowledged this week that he had met twice with him dur- ing the campaign, despite previous denials. The New Yorker reported this week that Kushner had met with Kislyak at Trump Tower in December. Hope Hicks, a White House spokesperson, confirmed Thursday that Flynn was also at the meeting in response to questions from a New York Times reporter.
It is common and not improper for transition officials to meet with foreign officials. But all meetings between Trump associates and Russians are now significant as the FBI investigates Russian interference in the U.S. election and whether anyone close to Trump’s campaign was involved. The meeting in December came at a crucial time, just as the Obama White House was preparing to sanction Russia and publicly make its case that Moscow had interfered with the 2016 election.
“They generally discussed the relationship and it made sense to establish a line of communication,” she said. “Jared has had meetings with many other foreign countries and representatives — as many as twodozen other foreign countries’ leaders and representatives.”
The Trump Tower meeting lasted 20 minutes, and Kushner has not met since with Kislyak, Hicks said.
Current and former U.S. officials have said that Flynn had contacts with Kislyak during the campaign. But few of the specifics of those contacts were known.
“It’s something all diplomats do,” Kislyak was quoted as saying by the Washington Post, though he refused to say what subjects he discussed with Flynn.