It is being reported that Jared Kushner requested a secret communications channel with the Kremlin. If this report is true, it would be the most direct proof of Trump collusion with Russia.
Jared Kushner and Russia’s ambassador to Washington discussed the possibility of setting up a secret and secure communications channel between Trump’s transition team and the Kremlin, using Russian diplomatic facilities in an apparent move to shield their pre-inauguration discussions from monitoring, according to U.S. officials briefed on intelligence reports.
Ambassador Sergei Kislyak reported to his superiors in Moscow that Kushner, then President-elect Trump’s son-in-law and confidant, made the proposal during a meeting on Dec. 1 or 2 at Trump Tower, according to intercepts of Russian communications that were reviewed by U.S. officials. Kislyak said Kushner suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States for the communications.
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The brazenness of Kushner’s proposal shocked the Russians.
Kushner wanted a secret communications channel because the Trump team had learned their open communications with the Russians during the campaign had been caught up in routine US surveillance of the Russians.
Because Trump and his defenders routinely try to make the abnormal normal, it must be pointed out that people who are committing legal acts don’t need communications that can’t be listened to by law enforcement. Both Flynn and Kushner were part of Trump’s inner circle. Jared Kushner is Trump’s son in law. It is getting impossible to believe that Donald Trump had no idea what was going on.
The Trump team demonstrated a consistent pattern of trying to hide their communications with Russia. What they are hiding could be the key to unraveling the mystery behind the Trump campaign’s relationship to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Details are coming out in a slow and steady drip, and these reports when taken together paint a picture of collusion.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
