President Donald Trump's son-in-law and top White House adviser Jared Kushner had at least three previously undisclosed contacts with Sergey Kislyak, Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Reuters reported May 27, citing seven current and former U.S. officials.
The two made contact during and after the 2016 presidential campaign, including two phone calls between April and November last year, according to the report. Kushner's attorney Jamie Gorelick, however, told Reuters that her client did not remember any calls with Kislyak during those seven months.
Earlier this week, The Washington Post reported that Kushner has drawn the scrutiny of the FBI in relation to an investigation into Russia's alleged involvement in the 2016 presidential election. Kushner is not a target of the investigation. Reuters reported that the officials have not seen any evidence of wrongdoing, nor have they seen any indication that Trump was aware of the meetings. One source added that there may not be anything improper about the contacts, Reuters noted.
According to six of Reuters' sources, Kislyak, Kushner and former national security adviser Michael Flynn had an undisclosed discussion before the election which was centered on counterterrorism tactics and bolstering the economic relations of U.S. and Russia.
Following the election, the three discussed the possibility of establishing a secret communications channel between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the report.
Moreover, Reuters reported that at least 18 undisclosed calls and emails were exchanged between Trump's team and Putin's associates in the seven months before the election. The sources also reportedly said that Flynn and Kushner had spoken to Kislyak by telephone, and there were several other undisclosed contacts between Kushner and Kislyak.