Investigation Turns to Kushner's Motives in Meeting With a Putin Ally
Source: New York Times
Monday, May 29, 2017 9:18 PM EDT
WASHINGTON Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, was looking for a direct line to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a search that in mid-December found him in a room with a Russian banker whose financial institution was deeply intertwined with Russian intelligence, and remains under sanction by the United States.
Federal and congressional investigators are now examining what exactly Mr. Kushner and the Russian banker, Sergey N. Gorkov, wanted from each other. The banker is a close associate of Mr. Putin, but he has not been known to play a diplomatic role for the Russian leader. That has raised questions about why he was meeting with Mr. Kushner at a crucial moment in the presidential transition, according to current and former officials familiar with the investigations.
The New York Times first reported the meeting between Mr. Kushner and Mr. Gorkov in March, but the White House at the time did not explain its aim. That article quoted a White House spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, who said that the meeting came at the request of the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey I. Kislyak, with whom Mr. Kushner had met earlier in December at Trump Tower to discuss opening a communications channel with Russian officials during the presidential transition. But the half-hour meeting with Mr. Gorkov since has come under increasing scrutiny. The current and former American officials now say it may have been part of an effort by Mr. Kushner to establish a direct line to Mr. Putin outside of established diplomatic channels.
The meeting came as Mr. Trump was openly feuding with American intelligence agencies and their conclusion that Russia had tried to disrupt the presidential election and turn it in his favor.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/29/us/politics/jared-kushner-russia-investigation.html
global1
(25,242 posts)Wasn't Pence the head of the transition team? I don't think Trump was astute enough to send Kushner in to do this dirty work. It's believable that Pence at the behest of the Repug strategist behind the Party - sent Kushner in to discuss this backchannel communication with the Russians.
I think they were using both Trump and Kushner as useful idiots to do their dirty work. I still think that the reason that the Repug Party always circles their wagons to protect Trump is because Trump is now blackmailing them - telling them - if he goes down - he'll take the Repug Party with him.
I've been saying this here on DU for many months now - and I never seem to get any agreement that this is what is going on behind the scenes. I keep hearing people asking the question as to why the Repugs always circle the wagons around Trump no matter how bad the situation looks for Trump and his band of merry men.
The only answer I keep coming up with is that Trump is threatening them with taking down the whole Party - if the Party abandons him.
Am I the only one that thinks this way?
greymattermom
(5,754 posts)but maybe he has information on all of them. Why are so many of them linked to Russia? Trump knows.
BumRushDaShow
(128,896 posts)First - It has been posted that several of those large PACs that funded the GOP during the elections had Russian money pumped into them (in some cases via Ukraine folks associated with Russia) - notably McConnell's PAC and others -
Link to tweet
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So it's like peeling back layer upon layer and it seems at this point that Drumpf doesn't need to "threaten", they did it to themselves by participating and using tainted campaign money to get elected.
Also the "original" story about "back channels" focused on Flynn. More on that here. Then Erik Prince's name surfaced related to a "back channel" (and it was revealed that Carter Page may have been contacted several years prior for recruitment purposes), and it's only recently that Kushner's name has been outed for "back channel" as well.
The question might be what role Pence really had and whether it was directed at managing the "establishment" folks and keeping them and their tainted money in order.
Juliusseizure
(562 posts)Whoever instructed him (Trump) didn't know the FBI closely moniters Russian officials and the Russian embassy-the location Kushner suggested for backchannel communications.
Someone like Flynn or Manator would have known. There's no reason to think Pence is involved in Russian collusion. It was a dumb, impulsive Trump directive given immediately after disclosure of Russian hacking. Then, he went ballistic when he found out Russian officials are monitered, and there was surveillance of Trump Tower's private server. My theory - Trump f'd up bigly, and blamed intelligence services for doing their job, and Obama for distraction. He can't accept blame ever.
Trump may be blackmailing some Repugs. but there's no evidence, and that doesn't explain why the whole party doesn't care, including voters.
The Repugs silence doesn't require blackmail. Trump beat Clinton. He has a passionate mass populist following of idiots, racist white people, and other jerkoffs. He's a talented professional marketer, actor, and bullshit artist with mass appeal, and will do anything dirty and illegal to gain power - with full passionate support of his base. These are valuable skill sets for a party that represents only the top 1/2 of 1% and has to delude its populace.
MedusaX
(1,129 posts)So, after years of Vlad slowly buying his way into the KGOP....
and decades of indirect involvement with the Trump Family (Putin backed Oligarchs using Trump to launder money)
Vlad allowed himself to believe that the *45/Kushner combo could provide 4-8 years of direct access & control over US without having to endure much scrutiny ....
So, a few tally switches here & there and suddenly *45 Family is in the WH.
They were supposed to be the shiny distraction....
And had they been smooth operators... things may have worked better for Vlad up til now...
Make no mistake... Vlad's ROI is already huuuge...
But effectively he chose a fast nickel over a slow dime....
Vlad is used to dealing with slick OG bosses and KGB/FSB level operatives....
I am sure Kislyak & Vlad had a good laugh over J-Rod's Kremlin hotline request ....
Vlad may have even thought Kislyak was trying to punk him...
"Now, Sergey, you should not tell such bad jokes to president of Russian Federation...
I have need for former Ambassadors in Siberian Headquarters, you know?"
KGOP circled wagons because some have willingly been bought & paid for in Rubles for many years... and those who have not willingly joined up...
were added to the roster when dirty campaign funds were accepted/distributed to them masked as legitimate donations & sources...
Collectively, they have looked the other way in hopes that the Russian fire would burn itself out sooner rather than later.....
Meanwhile, *45 Family keeps adding fuel & oxygen to the fire....