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Trump Son-in-Law Included in Probe into Russian Meddling in US Elections | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump attend a news conference at the White House in Washington, US, March 17, 2017. (Reuters)


The special prosecutor investigating Russia’s alleged meddling in the US presidential elections has expanded the probe to include Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, reported the Washington Post.

That includes the finances and business dealings of Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, and is a senior adviser at the White House, the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed officials familiar with the matter.

Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether anyone on Trump’s campaign, or associated with it, with him or any of his businesses, may have had any illegal dealings with Russian officials or others with ties to the Kremlin, said one US official familiar with the rough outlines of the probe and who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mueller is also looking at a second line of inquiry: whether, if any potential offenses were committed, Trump or others attempted to cover them up or obstruct the investigation into them, the source said.

Trump on Thursday lashed out at the investigators driving the Russia investigation as “very bad and conflicted people,” responding angrily to reports that the special counsel is looking into whether Trump obstructed justice.

In a series of statements on Twitter Thursday, Trump called Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign a “WITCH HUNT” based on the “phony” premise of possible collusion between Russia and a cadre of Trump campaign associates.

The president complained the probe is unfair and wondered why his defeated Democratic opponent wasn’t getting the same scrutiny.

“Why is that Hillary Clintons family and Dems dealings with Russia are not looked at, but my non-dealings are?” he asked.

“They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice,” Trump wrote in his first tweet. “You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history – led by some very bad and conflicted people! #MAGA.”

The Twitter attacks came as Vice President Mike Pence hired a personal lawyer to represent him in the intensifying investigation. Pence’s office confirmed he had retained Richard Cullen, a former Virginia attorney general and US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, to assist “in responding to inquiries” from Mueller.

Trump also red his own lawyer last month for probes by a special counsel and congressional committees.

The Mueller investigation appeared to be reaching a broadening circle of current and former officials. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the investigators were looking into possible obstruction of justice.

The newspaper noted Mueller had requested interviews with CIA Director Dan Coats, National Security Agency chief Michael Rogers and Richard Ledgett, the former NSA deputy director. Recent news reports have suggested Trump sought all three officials’ help in pressuring FBI Director James Comey to drop his investigation into former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn.

Comey testified last week that he also felt pressured to drop the Flynn probe. Comey said he believes Trump ultimately fired him “because of the Russia investigation.”

Coats met behind closed doors for more than three hours Thursday with the Senate intelligence committee, which is conducting a separate investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Trump’s Twitter response followed days of intensifying criticism of Mueller from some conservatives who have charged the former FBI director and his team with political bias and have claimed his relationship to Comey and an earlier meeting with Trump amount to conflicts of interest.

A close Trump associate said this week the president was considering firing Mueller, although the White House later denied it.

Cullen is a former federal prosecutor who has long ties to former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired on May 9. He represents former FIFA President Sepp Blatter in the corruption probe into world soccer’s governing body. US prosecutors have not accused Blatter of wrongdoing.

Cullen, who supported Trump’s rival Jeb Bush during the race for the Republican presidential nomination, also represented Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican and former majority leader of the US House of Representatives, during the investigation into corrupt Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff. DeLay was not charged.