Going in to his private hearing with House and Senate staffers, Jared Kusher issued a carefully-worded statement meant to show that he was merely an overworked staffer in Donald Trump’s campaign who took not a single action of his own volition. Coming out of his private hearing with House and Senate staffers, Jared Kusher read a carefully-worded statement meant to show that he was merely an overworked staffer in Donald Trump’s campaign who took not a single action of his own volition.
Much of what was in the statements was the same — he did nothing wrong, he saw nothing wrong, and “I have not relied on Russian funds for my businesses.” That last part, like the rest, was clearly the product of much contemplation by lawyers determined to produce a statement that contained next to no content and provided maximum wiggle room to guard against potential prosecution.
Even as Kushner was saying he had “not relied” on Russian funds, additional details emerged concerning a multi-million dollar deal between Jared Kushner and a partner at Prevezon Holdings. If that company sounds familiar, it’s because it was the company that supposedly employed Natalia Veselnitskaya on her trip to see the Trump campaign staff.
Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald Trump, who acts as his senior White House adviser, secured a multimillion-dollar Manhattan real estate deal with a Soviet-born oligarch whose company was cited in a major New York money laundering case now being investigated by members of Congress.
The way in which Kushner is hiding behind substance-free statements and pretending at “transparency” when he’s been dragged into the hearings only through a series of very reluctant steps, is a big part of why Sen. Ron Wyden has called for Kushner to testify openly and publicly before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“It is imperative that the public hear Jared Kushner testify in an open session of the Senate Intelligence Committee, under oath, and support his claims with full transparency in the form of emails, documents and financial records,” Wyden said in a statement.
Considering that Kushner previously had business dealings with principals at Prevezon, it seems even more likely that he might have known Veselnitskaya before going into that meeting in Donald Trump Jr.’s office. And it’s even less likely that the multiple emails concerning the meeting went unread.
The wording of Kushner’s statements were far more concerned about saying things in a way that protects him rather than getting out the truth.
“His description of his financial relationships with individuals and businesses tied to Russia appears incomplete, at best,” Wyden said.
He cited Kushner’s comment that he has “not relied on Russian funds to finance” private sector business activities.”
Wyden called the claim “clearly the work of a clever lawyer trying to protect his client, not someone trying to clear up questions raised by Congress and the American people.”
If Kushner’s defense is that as a wealthy real estate developer his job regularly brings him into contact with oligarchs, mobsters, and money launderers and we should expect that at least some of his funds come from illicit Russian sources routed through anonymous accounts in overseas banks, then what we’re really seeing is how both Kushner and the rules concerning real estate developers should come in for questioning.
