In a recent article published by the Washington Post titled “Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin”, allegations are made by “U.S. officials briefed on intelligence reports” against Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump. The officials allege that Kushner, who was recently revealed by several sources to be a focus in the Russian investigation, attempted to set up secret communication channels with the Kremlin. The full details of the allegations can be seen in the original story linked, but what many on the left are touting to be dark smoke, billowing from the fire of treason and collusion with the Russian, appears to be anything but. If what the articles alleges is true, there is a very big question the left has yet to answer, one that usurps their claims of collusion:

If the Trump campaign was colluding with the Russians to win the election, why were they setting up communication channels AFTER Trump had won?

So let us pretend for a second that Trump really did collude with the Russians in order to win the presidency (although there is currently no evidence of this). This would imply they had some sort of secretive communication channel with Russia, where they could plot how to make Hillary Clinton look like a worse candidate than she already was (not an easy feat by any means). If such a channel existed, why would they be trying to set up a new channel now that they had already won? What purpose would that serve? This is a question those who are pushing the narrative that there was collusion with the Kremlin will have to answer in the following days, as the timeline is beginning to not make sense.

Unless the allegations against Kushner are not as severe as they appear, and merely a misunderstanding in how back channels between governments work, then a reality check badly needs to be had by those on the left (and some on the right). The tales of the Trump campaign collluding with the Russians to win the election and Kushner setting up secret channels after the election can not mutually coexist, one (or both) must be factually incorrect. Until then, this latest report now has many wondering whether the smoke is really coming from a fire, or just a smoke machine.