U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and key adviser, Jared Kushner, has agreed to be questioned as part of a Senate investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to the White House.
Kushner is the closest Trump ally to be questioned so far by the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating ties between Trump associates and Russian officials.
The Senate committee wants to know more about Kushner’s two December meetings with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak, according to The New York Times, which first reported the story.
The Times also says senators are interested in Kushner’s previously unreported meeting with the head of Vnesheconombank, a Russian state-owned development bank that the U.S. had placed under sanctions following Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
A White House spokesman told the paper that Kushner’s meetings were not unusual, noting that his role during the campaign and transition required him to regularly meet with foreign officials, including Russians.
U.S. intelligence officials have concluded the Russian government was behind a campaign to influence the U.S. election by hacking Democratic Party groups and releasing the information to help benefit Trump. Moscow denies the allegations.
Last week, FBI director James Comey publicly confirmed an investigation into Russian interference in the election and whether associates of the president helped coordinate those efforts.
Several Trump associates are said to be under scrutiny by the FBI, including Trump’s former campaign chair Paul Manafort, former adviser Carter Page, and Trump’s longtime confidante Roger Stone.
Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was also forced to step down after misleading White House officials over the nature of his phone calls with Ambassador Kislyak.
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