BOMBSHELL: Jared Kushner Reportedly Wanted Secret Communications Channel With Kremlin
In a late-breaking story this evening, the Washington Post reported that senior White House advisor Jared Kushner attempted to set up a “secret and secure” backchannel with the Kremlin–and suggested that Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States be used to do so.
Notably, now-disgraced former national security advisor Michael Flynn was also in attendance at the meeting in question.
The Post notes:
“Ambassador Sergei Kislyak reported to his superiors in Moscow that Kushner, son-in-law and confidant to then-President-elect Trump, made the proposal during a meeting on Dec. 1 or 2 at Trump Tower, according to intercepts of Russian communications that were reviewed by U.S. officials.”
According to the report, Kislyak was said to have been caught off-guard by Kushner’s suggestion as agreeing to the request would have produced a great deal of risk for both the Kremlin and the Trump transition team.
The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The Post report does note that this could have been Russian disinformation, but adds, “Officials said that it’s unclear what Kislyak would have had to gain by falsely characterizing his contacts with Kushner to Moscow, particularly at a time when the Kremlin still saw the prospect of dramatically improved relations with Trump.”
They also say they were first alerted of this in December:
The Post was first alerted in mid-December to the meeting by an anonymous letter, which said, among other things, that Kushner had talked to Kislyak about setting up the communications channel. This week, officials who reviewed the letter and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence said the portion about the secret channel was consistent with their understanding of events.
For more, read the Washington Post report in its entirety here.
UPDATE –– 9:08 pm ET: Reuters is reporting that Kushner had “three previously undisclosed contacts” with the ambassador.
