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Jared Kushner Says 'I Did Not Collude' Ahead of Senate Committee Appearance

Evan Vucci
/
AP
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is set to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee this morning.

“I did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government,” President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner said in a statement ahead of a closed-door meeting today before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

In the 11-page statement, Kushner states that during the 2016 presidential campaign he had “hardly any” contact with Russia or Russia representatives.

He says that he was present for a highly-scrutinized meeting with a Russian attorney last summer. Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., recently released emails indicating that an intermediary had promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton from the Kremlin-connected lawyer.

“When I got there, the person who has since been identified as a Russian attorney was talking about the issue of a ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian children,” Kushner states. “I had no idea why that topic was being raised and quickly determined that my time was not well-spent at this meeting.”

Kushner adds: “I have no improper contacts. I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities in the private sectors.” He says that he has “tried to be fully transparent” in the form required to obtain a security clearance, “above and beyond what is required.”

You can read the full statement here.

Merrit Kennedy is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers a broad range of issues, from the latest developments out of the Middle East to science research news.