Shortly after testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee about his contacts with Russia, Jared Kushner made a rare public appearance Monday in front of the White House to announce that he “did not collude with Russia” during the 2016 election.
“I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds for my businesses. I have been fully transparent in providing all requested information,” Kushner said, reading from brief prepared remarks.
President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser seemed stiff and uncomfortable in front of the camera, acknowledging that he hardly ever speaks to the media. Most of his remarks rehashed the 11-page statement he provided to the Senate panel about the four contacts he said he had with Russian representatives during the campaign and transition.
In an additional twist, Kushner said that suggesting Russia’s interference in the 2016 race on Trump’s behalf, as U.S. intelligence agencies have asserted, is an offense to the President’s voters.
“Donald Trump had a better message and ran a smarter campaign. That is why he won,” Kushner said. “Suggesting otherwise ridicules those who voted for him.”
Kushner is scheduled to face questions from the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.
Watch his full remarks below:
Boiled down, conclusions from Amber Phillips of the Post:
1.Kushner’s daily proximity to the president is valuable for investigators as they try to gauge just how deep Trump and Russia relationships went.
2.According to emails Trump Jr. released, he was also given a heads up that this meeting was part of a Russian government effort to help his father win. And guess whom he invited to this meeting? Then-campaign manager Paul Manafort and Kushner.
The fact that Kushner and Manafort were there suggests the Trump campaign was taking this meeting with connected Russians seriously, said Jeffrey Jacobovitz, a white-collar lawyer who represented officials in the Clinton White House. And it also suggests that, far from raising red flags about potential Russian intervention, the Trump campaign may have embraced their help.
3.We don’t know exactly what the FBI is looking into with regard to Kushner. We do know that right around the time Kushner held a meeting with the Russian ambassador to the United States last spring, the CIA director started to notice that Russians were talking about actively, aggressively trying to influence the U.S. presidential election against Hillary Clinton.
4.Kushner’s testimony says these were standard interactions between a campaign official and foreign contacts. But none of those meetings were disclosed on his security clearance form, which is an extensive, intrusive, 127-page document designed to test whether the applicant has any compromising relationships with foreign governments and, perhaps most importantly, to test the applicant’s honesty.
5.During the transition, Kushner proposed that the Russians help him set up a secret line of communication in one of the most spied-upon buildings in the world, the Russian Embassy in Washington. That’s according to Russian intelligence picked up by U.S. officials and reported on in May by The Washington Post.
Because I’ve got an 11 page note from my mom that says please excuse Jared from all investigations today, he can’t remember shyt.
“all requested information” The SF-86 requested all foreign contacts from the get go, you did not. You committed a crime by doing so.
The film of this meeting meeting with the Russians should be done like Rashamon. Or Sceam IV.
In Rare Public Appearance, Kushner Says He ‘Did Not Collude With Russia, but did however offer up for sale several Valuable Bridge properties in Brooklyn