White House Special Advisor Jared Kushner reportedly met with investigators on FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team about a meeting during the transition featuring then-incoming national security advisor Michael Flynn and then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
The New York Times reports that the prosecutors also asked Kushner, who has reportedly been an increasingly central focus of Mueller’s investigation into alleged Russian interference in 2016, about other communications between Flynn and Russian officials.
During that meeting, Kushner discussed with Kislyak the possibility of establishing a direct and secure conduit for communication between Moscow and Trump’s transition team, although it was never set up.
CNN reported that Kushner’s meeting with Mueller lasted less than 90 minutes and that it was “to make sure Kushner doesn’t have information that exonerates Flynn. It reportedly took place around the time Mueller was asking about Kushner’s role in the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, the outlet reported.
Flynn, who was fired in February for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his meetings with Kislyak, has also been a central figure in Mueller’s wide-ranging probe into claims of Russian interference.
Kushner’s lawyer, Abbe D. Lowell, told the Times in a statement:, “Mr. Kushner has voluntarily cooperated with all relevant inquiries and will continue to do so.”
The Times notes that the interview may indicate that Kushner is not a direct target of the probe, as defense lawyers do not normally allow such interviews if they believe their clients to be the targets of such probes.
CNN reported that Mueller’s team is also interested in the Trump campaign’s data analytics operation, as well as Kushner’s own contacts with the Russians.
Mueller’s investigation is not the only probe to have expressed interest in Kushner’s dealings. Both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee have requested additional information from Kushner, and have complained about Kushner’s failure to turn over relevant documents.
Adam Shaw is a Breitbart News politics reporter based in New York. Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamShawNY.
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