Andrew Harrer/CNP via ZUMA Wire
Special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly now investigating the finances and business dealings of Jared Kushner, according to a report Thursday night from the Washington Post.
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.
Read the rest over at the Post.
