Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and senior adviser of US President Donald Trump, discussed with the Russian ambassador the possibility of creating a secret communication channel between Trump's transition team and the Kremlin, said US officials briefed on intelligence reports.
Kushner wanted to use Russian facilities to avoid US interception of discussions with Moscow, the Washington Post reported on Friday. The claim comes from intercepts of conversations between Russia's Ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak and Moscow.
The move, which was apparently intended to make the confidential talks more difficult to monitor, was discussed in a December meeting at Trump Tower. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn also attended the meeting with Kushner, the Post reported, citing US officials.
While the White House confirmed that encounter in March, it was reported on Friday that Kushner had at least three previously undisclosed contacts with Kislyak during and after the 2016 presidential campaign.
Kislyak told higher-ups in Moscow that Kushner's proposal came as a surprise to him, the report said.
The idea was to have Flynn speak directly with a senior military official in Moscow to discuss Syria and other security issues, the New York Times reported, citing officials.
But neither side followed up on it. And less than two weeks later, the idea was dropped, said the report.
In the days after the meeting with Kislyak, Kushner had a separate meeting with Sergey N. Gorkov, a Russian banker with close ties to President Vladimir Putin.
Though the proposal was designed primarily as a conduit to discuss policy issues, it was unclear why such communications would have needed to be carried out through a secret channel.
The White House declined to comment. The Russian Embassy did not respond to requests for comments.
The revelation has stoked new questions about Kushner's connections to Russian officials at a time when the Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting an investigation into Moscow's attempts to disrupt last year's presidential election.
Current and former American officials said Kushner's activities, like those of many others around Trump, are under scrutiny as part of the investigation. But Kushner is not the subject of a criminal probe.
One former US senior intelligence official was quoted as saying that the suggestion of a secret channel with the Kremlin "seems extremely naive or absolutely crazy".
"How would he trust that the Russians wouldn't leak it on their side?" the former intelligence official said.
Ted Lieu, a Democratic congressman, said: "ONLY reason Kushner would want secret communications with Kremlin is to hide information from US intelligence. Whose side is he on?"
Kushner's lawyer said he is ready to talk to federal investigators as well as Congress about his contacts and his role in Trump's 2016 campaign.
--IANS
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