KUSHNER UNDER FBI SCRUTINY
President Trump’s son- inlaw and close adviser Jared Kushner has caught the attention of federal investigators for his contacts with Russian officials, according to a person familiar with the inquiry who was not authorized to speak on the record.
At this time, Kushner is not regarded as a formal target of the probe. The FBI is investigating possible collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russia in connection to the country’s alleged interference in the 2016 election.
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn, along with ex- Trump campaign associates Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Carter Page, are active subjects of the investigation.
The story was first reported Thursday by NBC News and The Washington Post.
The Post said the FBI is particularly interested in meetings Kushner held in December with the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, and a Russian banker with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin named Sergey Gorkov. NBC reported it is unclear what “precisely about Kushner’s activities has drawn the FBI’s interest.”
Last week, the Post reported that a senior White House official was a “person of interest” in the investigation, but did not name the official in question.
“Mr. Kushner previously volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about these meetings. He will do the same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry,” Jamie Gorelick, an attorney for Kushner, told the Post and NBC.
The reports about Kushner came as Trump was said to be “looking at” the future of U. S. sanctions on Russia, according to White House economic adviser Gary Cohn.
Asked what the current administration position is, Cohn said, “Right now, we don’t have a position.”
Cohn spoke to reporters on Air Force One as Trump headed to the Group of 7 summit in Sicily. G- 7 leaders kicked Russia out of the group of wealthy nations for its annexation of Ukrainian territory.
Cohn says he expects Russia to be a topic during the two- day summit. Pressed on what specifically the White House was looking into on sanctions, Cohn would only say that Trump has “many options.”
“MR. KUSHNER PREVIOUSLY VOLUNTEERED TO SHARE WITH CONGRESS WHAT HE KNOWS ABOUT THESE MEETINGS. HE WILL DO THE SAME IF HE IS CONTACTED IN CONNECTION WITH ANY OTHER INQUIRY.” JAMIE GORELICK, attorney for Jared Kushner