SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, was implicated in a plea deal struck between Michael Flynn and special counsel Robert Mueller, bringing Mueller's investigation of the Trump administration's ties to Russia closer to the president. (Photo: @business/Twitter)
Confirming the suspicions of some analysts, NBC Newsreported on Friday that President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner was the "very senior member of the presidential transition team" whoinstructed former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn to speak with Russian officials in December 2016.
The report came hours after Flynn pleaded guilty, part of deal with special counsel Robert Mueller, to making false statements to the FBI when he told the agency earlier this year that he did not discuss U.S. sanctions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
In addition to the sanctions, Flynn's communication with Kislyak also dealt with a U.N. Security Council vote on a resolution challenging Israeli settlements. Kushner allegedly told Flynn to "get on the phone to every member of the Security Council and tell them to delay the vote," according to a report by Buzzfeed News.
The communication between Flynn and Kislyak went against instructions from the Obama administration, which urged the Trump transition team to stay out of foreign affairs until Trump was inaugurated, arguing that its involvement would undermine Obama's policies.
Those efforts by Kushner and Flynn, warn experts, could be seen by prosecutors as a direct violation of the Logan Act which forbids unauthorized negotiations with foreign governments that run counter to official U.S. policy.
Kushner denied any involvement with the Trump team's communications with Russia in meetings with the Senate Intelligence Committee last summer, and spoke to the press briefly after speaking to the committee.
"Let me be very clear," he said in the statement, "I did not collude with Russia, nor do I know of anyone else in the campaign who did so."
The revelation of Kushner's involvement, combined with Flynn's statement on Friday that he would be willing to testify that Trump directed him to contact Russia, brings Mueller's probe closer than ever to Trump himself.
\u201cWith news that the Senior Member who ordered Flynn was Jared Kushner, the investigation has progressed from the campaign, to the White House, and now inside Donald Trump's family.\u201d— Jared Yates Sexton (@Jared Yates Sexton) 1512158070
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Confirming the suspicions of some analysts, NBC Newsreported on Friday that President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner was the "very senior member of the presidential transition team" whoinstructed former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn to speak with Russian officials in December 2016.
The report came hours after Flynn pleaded guilty, part of deal with special counsel Robert Mueller, to making false statements to the FBI when he told the agency earlier this year that he did not discuss U.S. sanctions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
In addition to the sanctions, Flynn's communication with Kislyak also dealt with a U.N. Security Council vote on a resolution challenging Israeli settlements. Kushner allegedly told Flynn to "get on the phone to every member of the Security Council and tell them to delay the vote," according to a report by Buzzfeed News.
The communication between Flynn and Kislyak went against instructions from the Obama administration, which urged the Trump transition team to stay out of foreign affairs until Trump was inaugurated, arguing that its involvement would undermine Obama's policies.
Those efforts by Kushner and Flynn, warn experts, could be seen by prosecutors as a direct violation of the Logan Act which forbids unauthorized negotiations with foreign governments that run counter to official U.S. policy.
Kushner denied any involvement with the Trump team's communications with Russia in meetings with the Senate Intelligence Committee last summer, and spoke to the press briefly after speaking to the committee.
"Let me be very clear," he said in the statement, "I did not collude with Russia, nor do I know of anyone else in the campaign who did so."
The revelation of Kushner's involvement, combined with Flynn's statement on Friday that he would be willing to testify that Trump directed him to contact Russia, brings Mueller's probe closer than ever to Trump himself.
\u201cWith news that the Senior Member who ordered Flynn was Jared Kushner, the investigation has progressed from the campaign, to the White House, and now inside Donald Trump's family.\u201d— Jared Yates Sexton (@Jared Yates Sexton) 1512158070
Confirming the suspicions of some analysts, NBC Newsreported on Friday that President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner was the "very senior member of the presidential transition team" whoinstructed former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn to speak with Russian officials in December 2016.
The report came hours after Flynn pleaded guilty, part of deal with special counsel Robert Mueller, to making false statements to the FBI when he told the agency earlier this year that he did not discuss U.S. sanctions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
In addition to the sanctions, Flynn's communication with Kislyak also dealt with a U.N. Security Council vote on a resolution challenging Israeli settlements. Kushner allegedly told Flynn to "get on the phone to every member of the Security Council and tell them to delay the vote," according to a report by Buzzfeed News.
The communication between Flynn and Kislyak went against instructions from the Obama administration, which urged the Trump transition team to stay out of foreign affairs until Trump was inaugurated, arguing that its involvement would undermine Obama's policies.
Those efforts by Kushner and Flynn, warn experts, could be seen by prosecutors as a direct violation of the Logan Act which forbids unauthorized negotiations with foreign governments that run counter to official U.S. policy.
Kushner denied any involvement with the Trump team's communications with Russia in meetings with the Senate Intelligence Committee last summer, and spoke to the press briefly after speaking to the committee.
"Let me be very clear," he said in the statement, "I did not collude with Russia, nor do I know of anyone else in the campaign who did so."
The revelation of Kushner's involvement, combined with Flynn's statement on Friday that he would be willing to testify that Trump directed him to contact Russia, brings Mueller's probe closer than ever to Trump himself.
\u201cWith news that the Senior Member who ordered Flynn was Jared Kushner, the investigation has progressed from the campaign, to the White House, and now inside Donald Trump's family.\u201d— Jared Yates Sexton (@Jared Yates Sexton) 1512158070