As White House defends Jared Kushner, experts question his back-channel move
The Trump administration argued over the weekend that back-channel communications are acceptable in building dialogue with foreign governments, part of an effort to minimize fallout over White House adviser Jared Kushner’s reported discussion about creating a secret conduit to the Kremlin at a Russian diplomatic compound.
But some former administration officials on Sunday criticized the use of such secret channels, especially during a presidential transition, saying they could send a confusing message and be manipulated by a foreign power.
Democrats raised new concerns about Kushner. And the top-ranking Democrat on the House committee investigating potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia called for a review of Kushner’s security clearance.
The controversy is the latest to tie the most senior ranks of President Trump’s administration to Moscow amid multiple investigations into Russian interference in the election. It comes as Trump returned to Washington from his first international trip, renewed his tweets about unfair media coverage, and eyed a major retooling of his White House staff to deal with Russia-related scrutiny.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/as-white-house-defends-jared-kushner-experts-question-his-back-channel-move/ar-BBBCiW9?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=edgsp
