News / Politics

Trump’s son-in-law denies collusion with Russia

Monday, 24 July 2017 1:08 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 24 July 2017 1:12 PM ]

Senior White House adviser and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner speaks during an event with technology sector CEOs at the White House, on June 19, 2017, in Washington, DC. (Photo by AFP)

Senior White House adviser and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has denied colluding with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Kushner made the remarks in a written statement issued on Monday to congressional investigators probing alleged Russian meddling in last year’s election. He is scheduled to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee in a closed hearing later in the day where he will deliver the 11-page statement.

"I did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government," he said.

"I had no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities in the private sector,” Kushner said.

He said that he is "happy to share information" with investigating bodies and has "nothing to hide."

"The record and documents I am providing will show that I had perhaps four contacts with Russian representatives out of thousands during the campaign and transition, none of which were impactful in any way to the election or particularly memorable," he said.

Earlier this month reports revealed that Kushner, along with other Trump campaign aides, last year held a meeting with a Russian lawyer who offered compromising information about Hillary Clinton, Trump’s 2016 presidential rival.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner (C) sits alongside US President Donald Trump (L) and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (2nd L) as they prepare to meet with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 20, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

An intensive investigation has been launched to find out whether the Russian government coordinated with Trump’s associates during the 2016 campaign and transition.

Meanwhile, Trump’s lawyers were looking into his authority to grant pardons in the probes into Russia's role in the 2016 election and his associates’ possible collusion with the Kremlin.

Trump has himself spoken with his advisers about the power to pardon aides, family members and even himself, according to a Washington Post report on Thursday.

The Trump administration is also under pressure over recent revelations about a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian attorney, Natalia Veselnitskaya, with the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort, also present at Trump Tower in the summer of 2016.

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