Mr Kushner, who is President Donald Trump's son-in-law, also told a group of congressional interns that the Trump campaign couldn't have colluded with Russia because the team was too dysfunctional and disorganised to coordinate with a foreign government.

The remarks on Monday came in response to a question about Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign worked with Moscow.

ForeignPolicy.com first reported Mr Kushner's remarks, which were intended to be off the record. "They thought we colluded, but we couldn't even collude with our local offices," he said, according to the website.

A Democratic congressional aide knowledgeable of the meeting confirmed the accuracy of the remarks and others that Mr Kushner made. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity.