The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff Reports

Posted: Monday, January 01, 2018 12:28 PM
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President Trump's Son-In-Law Jared Kushner Denies Any Collusion With Russia Before Intel Committee
President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner on Monday denied any collusion with Russia and called the meeting he and the president's eldest son attended with a Russian attorney a "waste of our time," in a rare written statement released as he met with congressional investigators.

In the statement to committees released early Monday morning, Kushner, a White House adviser, laid out his dealings with foreign leaders and said none constitute campaign collusion.

“I did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government,” reads a section of his statement. “I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities in the private sector. I have tried to be fully transparent with regard to the filing of my SF-86 form [security clearance], above and beyond what is required. Hopefully, this puts these matters to rest.”

FROM FOX NEWS: FULL KUSHNER STATEMENT


Kushner met with Senate Intelligence Committee investigators Monday morning behind closed doors, in the first of several private sessions Hill committees are holding with Trump associates. The committees are investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and any possible collusion by Trump associates.

Kushner, in his statement, detailed four contacts he had with Russians during the presidential campaign and transition.

“With respect to my contacts with Russia or Russian representatives during the campaign, there were hardly any,” he said in the statement. He recalled when he was at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington in April 2016, when his father-in-law delivered a speech on foreign policy and he was introduced to four ambassadors at the event, which included then-Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak.