FBI investigators are looking into a number of meetings between Jared Kushner — President Trump’s son-in-law and one of his closest advisors in the White House — and Russian officials as part of its investigation into Russia’s interference with the 2016 election, according to the Washington Post.
Kushner is not the central focus of the investigation, but his meetings with a Russian banker and an ambassador in December 2016 have piqued the interest of the FBI, according to the report.
Beyond a possible connection between the Russian government and the Trump campaign, investigators are also checking on potential “financial crimes,” the Washington Post states.
It was reported last week that the investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia had identified a “significant” person of interest within Trump’s inner circle. Speculation at the time held that Kushner is the person in question.
While former national security advisor Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort are still of particular interest to the FBI, Kushner is the only current member of the Trump team to be “considered a key person in the probe.”
“Mr. Kushner previously volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about these meetings. He will do the same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry,” said Jamie Gorelick, one of Kushner’s attorneys, according to the Washington Post.
It was one of several Russia-related bombshells last week, which included the appointment of former FBI director Robert Mueller as Special Counsel in the investigation, and news that Trump had apparently told the Russian Ambassador that he fired FBI Director Jim Comey specifically to ease “great pressure” over that investigation.