White House Pushes Back On Report Trump’s Lawyers Wanted Kushner Out

FILE - In this July 25, 2017 file photo, White House Senior Adviser and envoy, Jared Kushner, listens at right as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the Cabine... FILE - In this July 25, 2017 file photo, White House Senior Adviser and envoy, Jared Kushner, listens at right as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. Kushner began a round of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as he resumed efforts to restart peace talks. Kushner, who is President Donald Trump's son-in-law, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, before heading to the West Bank city of Ramallah to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the evening. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) MORE LESS
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White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday pushed back on a report that some of the lawyers on President Donald Trump’s outside legal team handling the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election wanted Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner to step down.

“Was there any discussion about him stepping aside earlier this year, leaving the administration?” CNN’s Jim Acosta asked Sanders during her daily briefing.

“No, no conversation that I’m aware of,” Sanders replied. “And certainly no presentation, as both the President’s attorneys have gone on record to say.”

The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday that some of Trump’s lawyers felt Kushner should resign because of several meetings he had with Russian officials, and failed to disclose, before his father-in-law took office.

John Dowd, the leader of Trump’s outside legal team, told the Wall Street Journal that he “didn’t agree with that view at all” and said the proposal did not make it to Trump, to his knowledge.

Marc Kasowitz, who led Trump’s outside legal team until Dowd took over in July, said he “never discussed with other lawyers for the President that Jared Kushner should step down” and never made any such recommendation to Trump.

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Notable Replies

  1. Hucksand
    “Everybody here likes to ask the same question, many times”

    You know why that is, Sara?
    Try answering one for once.

  2. didn’t the Wall Street Journal story state that there was a draft memo by the attorneys on this very matter? If that is the case, why would there be a memo on something that wasn’t discussed?

    Of course, Sanders is known to be squeaky clean in the honesty department…

  3. “Marc Kasowitz, who led Trump’s outside legal team until Dowd took over in July, said he ‘never discussed with other lawyers for the President that Jared Kushner should step down’ and never made any such recommendation to Trump.”

    He added, “But the last several months were all a vodka-binge blackout, so your guess is as good as mine.”

  4. Avatar for pshah pshah says:

    John Dowd, the leader of Trump’s outside legal team, told the Wall Street Journal that he “didn’t agree with that view at all” and said the proposal did not make it to Trump, to his knowledge.

    So Dowd is admitting there was a proposal, while Sanders claims there was “no conversation”. Let’s get our story straight, shall we? Sheesh!

  5. We’re living in Opposite World.

    If Donnie swears “utmost confidence” you know someone is about to be fired.

    If Yuckabee Slanders says “nope, never happened” you can bet your sweet bippy it did.

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