US aide in firing line over secret Russia plan

DONALD Trump, just back from his first international trip as US president, geared up to combat concerns yesterday over aides’ ties to Russia including explosive reports that his son-in-law sought a secret communications line with Moscow.

The latest furore was stirred up after The Washington Post reported late on Friday that Jared Kushner – arguably Trump’s closest White House aide, and husband to the president’s eldest daughter Ivanka – made a pre-inauguration proposal to the Russian ambassador to set up a secret, bug-proof link with the Kremlin.

Kushner, 36, even suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States to protect such a channel from monitoring, The Post said, quoting US officials briefed on intelligence reports.

The report, if confirmed, would raise new questions about the Trump team’s relationship with the Russians, who US intelligence agencies say tried to sway the November election in Trump’s favour.

News reports said the White House, reeling from the explosive developments in the long-running Russia saga, is creating a new rapid-fire communications unit to respond to the controversy, led by Kushner, senior presidential adviser Steve Bannon and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.

Though Kushner has appeared “subdued,” he does not plan to step aside as Trump’s senior adviser or reduce his responsibilities, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed people close to him.

After some delay, a senior Trump administration official en route back to Washington briefed reporters for almost 25 minutes, on matters from anti-terror cooperation to the administration’s view that the summit had been a smashing success – despite huge differences on climate change.

Trump plans to make an announcement within the week on his climate position, the official said.

But the said official did not address the Kushner reports on Saturday.

Trump then returned to Washington on Saturday night from his first overseas trip, to the Middle East and Europe. Accompanied by first lady Melania, Trump waved to reporters as he made his way into the White House but made no comment.

National Security Advisor HR McMaster refused to talk about the allegations. But he said that in general, “We have backchannel communication with a number of countries. What that allows you to do is communicate in a discrete manner.”

“I would not be concerned about it,” he added.

But a former head of the US National Security Agency harshly condemned Kushner’s alleged effort to set up a secret communications line with Russia, saying if it were true, it would reveal a dangerous degree of ignorance or naivete. — AFP