“Kushner, in his naiveté about government, may also not have remembered that Barack Obama was still president and in charge of all negotiations with Russia. And it was an innocent oversight that Kushner failed to mention his talk with Kislyak on his government security clearance form. Even under the benign theory that Kushner thought a secret back channel was like a small boy’s tin-can telephone, his life in the coming months and maybe years will be a study in misery.” The Guardian — May 29 2017

More bad news for Jared Kushner. Special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly investigating his finances and business dealings. Former KGB Jack Barsky and former CIA Bob Baer comment on the reports that Jared Kushner asked Russian ambassador to establish a secured backchannel. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and a top White House advisor with a sprawling portfolio, is just one of many in Trump’s circle whom Mueller is investigating in his ongoing probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

The news comes just one day after the Post reported the special counsel is investigating President Trump for possible obstruction of justice.

From the Post:

The Washington Post had earlier reported that investigators were scrutinizing separate meetings that Kushner held with Russians in December — first with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and then with Sergey Gorkov, the head of a state-owned Russian development bank. At the time of that report it was not clear that the FBI was investigating Kushner’s business dealings. … At the December meeting with [Russian Ambassador Sergey] Kislyak, Kushner suggested establishing a secure communications line between Trump officials and the Kremlin at a Russian diplomatic facility, according to U.S. officials who reviewed intelligence reports describing Kislyak’s account. The White House has said the subsequent meeting with the banker was a pre-inauguration diplomatic encounter, unrelated to business matters. The Russian bank, Vnesheconombank, which has been the subject of U.S. sanctions following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, has said the session was held for business reasons because of Kushner’s role as head of his family’s real estate company. The meeting occurred as Kushner’s company had been seeking financing for its troubled $1.8 billion purchase of an office building on Fifth Avenue in New York, and it could raise questions about whether Kushner’s personal financial interests were colliding with his impending role as a public official.

Mueller’s investigation is still in a relatively early phase, and it is unclear if any criminal charges will be brought when it is complete.

Interview — Ex-KGB Jack Barsky and ex-CIA Bob Baer

REFERENCES

Ex-KGB Spy Jack Barsky Appalled Over Reports Jared Kushner Asked Russian Envoy for Backchannel — CNN

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Ex-KGB Jack Barsky and ex-CIA Bob Baer Appalled over Kushner’s Russian Backchannel