Donald Trump’s
son-in-law and top aide Jared Kushner will appear before a Senate panel
investigating Russian interference in the US election, the White House said
Monday. Kushner, 36, was Trump’s main intermediary with foreign governments
during the 2016 election campaign and now plays that role in the White House.
He arranged
meetings between Trump and leaders from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. But it is his contacts with Russian
officials that are now coming under the microscope, amid explosive allegations of
collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. US intelligence has
concluded that Russia launched a broad-ranging campaign designed to help Trump
win election. “Throughout the campaign and transition, Jared Kushner served as
the official primary point of contact with foreign governments and officials,”
a White House official said. “Given this role, he has volunteered to speak with
Chairman Burr’s committee, but has not yet received confirmation,” the official
said, referring to Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina. Burr chairs the
Senate intelligence committee. In a joint statement with his Democratic
counterpart Senator Mark Warner, Burr said Kushner’s decision to appear showed
the panel’s independence. “From the beginning of this investigation we have
committed to follow the facts wherever they lead us,” they said. “Mr. Kushner
will certainly not be the last person the committee calls to give testimony,
but we expect him to be able to provide answers to key questions that have
arisen in our inquiry.” The development comes amid renewed questions over the
impartiality of a parallel inquiry from the House of Representative’s
intelligence committee. It is led by Congressman Devin Nunes, who is under fire
for briefing the Trump about issues related to the investigation. Last week
Nunes revealed that Trump’s own communications may have been swept up in
intelligence gathering on suspected foreign agents. Nunes worked on Trump’s
transition team and is now leading an investigation into possible links between
that campaign team and Russia. The Senate’s top democrat Chuck Schumer called
Monday for Nunes to be removed from his chairmanship of the inquiry. “Chairman
Nunes is falling down on the job and seems to be more interested in protecting
the president than in seeking the truth,” Schumer said on the floor of the
Senate. “You cannot have the person in charge of an impartial investigation be
partial to one side.”
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