The Washington Post reports:
Jared Kushner, President Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, plans to detail four meetings he had with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign and transition period — including one set up by Donald Trump Jr. with a Russian lawyer — but will deny any improper contacts or collusion in testimony to a congressional panel on Monday.
Kushner defends his interactions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and other Russian officials as typical contacts in his role as the Trump campaign’s liaison to foreign governments, according to an 11-page prepared statement he plans to submit for the record, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post.
Kushner is scheduled to testify in closed-door sessions, first before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Monday and then before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, as part of the congressional probes into Russian interference in the 2016 election and contacts between Russia and Trump campaign officials and associates.
Kushner’s full statement is here. It begins:
I am voluntarily providing this statement, submitting documents, and sitting for interviews in order to shed light on issues that have been raised about my role in the Trump for President Campaign and during the transition period.
I am not a person who has sought the spotlight. First in my business and now in public service, I have worked on achieving goals, and have left it to others to work on media and public perception. Because there has been a great deal of conjecture, speculation, and inaccurate information about me, I am grateful for the opportunity to set the record straight.
Before joining the administration, I worked in the private sector, building and managing companies. My experience was in business, not politics, and it was not my initial intent to play a large role in my father-in-law’s campaign when he decided to run for President. However, as the campaign progressed, I was called on to assist with various tasks and aspects of the campaign, and took on more and more responsibility.
“Kushner will not be under oath during his appearance at the committee and the session will not be in public.” https://t.co/TsFtfNcpUn
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 24, 2017
THE NOTE: Jared Kushner heads to Capitol Hill as the first member of Trump family to be questioned in Russia probe: https://t.co/YwSyZd5wIl pic.twitter.com/5n3NjfZ5Qs
— ABC News (@ABC) July 24, 2017
Kushner says he got his assistant to fake a call to get out of meeting with Russian lawyer https://t.co/OL5fkZyE3S pic.twitter.com/9EBtT2T2Nw
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) July 24, 2017
Conclusions I draw from Kushner’s statement.
He doesn’t read things carefully.
He’s naive.
He thinks his lawyers can save him from anything— Bradley P. Moss, Esq (@BradMossEsq) July 24, 2017