Kushner unsure whether he'd alert FBI if Russians request another meeting
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On "Axios on HBO," Jared Kushner said he doesn't know whether he'd call the FBI if he were to receive an email today like the one before the campaign's Trump Tower meeting, which had the subject line: "Re: Russia - Clinton - private and confidential."
- Kushner said this after a tense exchange about the email he received to set up the infamous Trump Tower meeting.
Why this matters: Kushner is now in the West Wing as senior adviser to the president. Shouldn't an email with an offer of help from Russians trigger a mental alarm? This bolsters the perception that President Trump’s inner circle still doesn't fully recognize the ongoing threat of Russian interference in American elections.
- Kushner’s response comes after FBI Director Christopher Wray said in congressional testimony that he would recommend that in the future, people contact the FBI if a foreign government offers campaign support.
What he's saying: Kushner said people are being "self-righteous" and playing "Monday morning quarterback" by asking him why he didn't call the FBI when he saw the email offering help for the Trump campaign from Russia.
- "Let me put you in my shoes at that time. OK, I'm running three companies, I'm helping run the campaign. I get an email that says show up at 4 instead of 3 to a meeting that I had been told about earlier that I didn't know what the hell it was about."
Asked if he'd call the FBI if it happened again, Kushner said: "I don't know. It's hard to do hypotheticals, but the reality is is that we were not given anything that was salacious."
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