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Trump braces to defend top aide over new Russia calls
The latest furore was stirred up after reports said the FBI wants to question Jared Kushner — arguably Trump’s closest White House aide
Washington — Donald Trump, just back from his first international trip as US president, geared up to combat concerns on Sunday over aides’ ties to Russia including explosive reports that his son-in-law sought a secret communications line with Moscow. The latest furore was stirred up after The Washington Post reported late on Friday that Jared Kushner — arguably Trump’s closest White House aide and husband to the president’s eldest daughter Ivanka — made before his inauguration proposal to the Russian ambassador to set up a secret, bug-proof link with the Kremlin. Kushner even suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the US to protect such a channel from monitoring, The Post said. If confirmed, the report would raise new questions about the Trump team’s relationship with the Russians, who US intelligence agencies say tried to sway the November election in Trump’s favour. After some delay, a senior Trump administration official en route back to Washington briefed reporters for...
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