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<\/p>\nJared Kushner Proposed \u2018Secret Communications Channel\u2019 with Russian Leaders<\/b><\/p>\n
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Donald Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner\u00a0spoke to Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak about setting up a \u201csecret communications channel\u201d between the transition team and Russia, according to the Washington Post, who received its reporting from U.S. intelligence officials<\/a>.<\/p>\n The\u00a0proposal was made in early December at Trump Tower. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was present and Kislyak was reportedly shocked at the suggestion because of its inherent security risks, the paper added.<\/p>\n The WaPo reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n Current and former U.S. intelligence officials said that although Russian diplomats have secure means of communicating with Moscow, Kushner\u2019s apparent request for access to such channels was extraordinary.<\/p>\n \u201cHow would he trust that the Russians wouldn\u2019t leak it on their side?\u201d said one former senior intelligence official. The FBI would know that a Trump transition official was going in and out of the embassy, which would cause \u201ca great deal\u201d of concern, he added. The entire idea, he said, \u201cseems extremely naive or absolutely crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n The discussion of a secret channel adds to a broader pattern of efforts by Trump\u2019s closest advisers to obscure their contacts with Russian counterparts. Trump\u2019s first national security adviser, Flynn, was forced to resign after a series of false statements about his conversations with Kislyak. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from matters related to the Russia investigation after it was revealed that he had failed to disclose his own meetings with Kislyak<\/a> when asked during congressional testimony about any contact with Russians.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Washington Post<\/em> report comes as the White House has reportedly planned to set up a \u201cwar room\u201d to combat questions about the Russia probe upon Trump\u2019s return from overseas<\/a>:<\/p>\n Upon Trump\u2019s return, the administration will add experienced political professionals, including Trump\u2019s former campaign manager, and possibly more lawyers to handle the Russia probe, which has gained new urgency since the Justice Department appointed a special counsel to head the investigation, the sources said.<\/p>\n Beyond pushing back at suggestions that Moscow is unduly influencing Trump\u2019s administration, the messaging effort will also focus on advancing Trump\u2019s stalled policy agenda and likely involve more trips out of Washington that will feature the kind of raucous rallies that were the hallmark of Trump\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s aides are now facing a \u201cperilous stage\u201d in the investigation according to Politico<\/a>\u00a0as the scent\u00a0of impeachment wafts through Washington.<\/p>\n The post Jared Kushner Proposed \u2018Secret Communications Channel\u2019 with Russian Leaders<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n