Key claims

Trump’s son-in-law releases details of four meetings with Russians

Jared Kushner issued an 11-page statement before he appeared in front of the Senate intelligence committee yesterday, providing his first detailed account of meetings over the past year with the Russians. He defends himself against accusations of improper conduct – these are the key claims:

What contact did Jared Kushner have with Russians?

Mr Kushner claims “hardly any” – he said he met Russians four times, looking for ways to improve Us-russian relations. He said he “did not read” the emails where Donald Trump Jr set up a meeting with a Russian lawyer, arrived late and concluded that the meeting was such a “waste of time” that he quickly looked for a way out.

Why did he try to set up a “back channel” to the Russians?

Mr Kushner admitted that he spoke to Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, about whether there was a secure communications line with the Russian embassy that could be used to discuss Syria during the campaign. But he denied that he suggested “an ongoing secret form of communication”.

Did Mr Kushner mix his business dealings with politics?

Mr Kushner insisted that his family property empire was never discussed with Russians, nor were loans. He says he has “not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities in the private sector”.

Why did he fail to disclose all meetings with foreign nationals on his security clearance forms?

Mr Kushner said it was a “miscommunication”; he said the draft form was sent on Jan 18 2017 by an assistant, and it was then updated to include the June 2016 meeting when it was brought to his attention.