Jared Kushner Should He Stay Senior Advisor To President or Should He Go Part 2

Will revelations about Kushner curb his influence?

CBS News has confirmed Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, discussed setting up back-channel communications between the Trump transition team and Russia during a December meeting. President Trump told the New York Times that he has "total confidence in him."

There is a sense in the White House that Jared Kushner is "vulnerable"

But the negative stories surrounding Kushner the last week could impact his influence with the president. 

Kushner is a constant presence alongside his father-in-law, wearing several hats as a family member with the ear of the president of the United States to a policy adviser who led a recent $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, reports CBS News correspondent Juliana Goldman. CBS News

President Donald Trump isn't a man who gets too bogged down in rules. Especially when it comes to how he lives his life or runs his White House. CNN More

Eye Opener: Jared Kushner Faces Growing Scrutiny

CBS News has confirmed Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, discussed setting up back-channel communications with between the Trump transition team and Russia. CBS More

President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, is under FBI scrutiny as part of the Russia investigation, according to US media.

Reports say investigators believe he has relevant information, but he is not necessarily suspected of a crime.

The FBI is looking into potential Russian meddling in the 2016 election and links with Mr Trump's campaign. The president denies any collusion.

Mr Kushner's lawyer said his client would co-operate with any inquiry.

President Trump has described the Russia investigations as "the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history".

US intelligence agencies believe Moscow tried to tip the election in favour of the Republican, who beat his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. BBC News

Investigators examine Kushner's meeting with Russian banker

In addition to Jared Kushner's meeting with Russian Envoy Sergey Kislyak, congressional and federal investigators are also closely scrutinizing another meeting Mr. Trump's son-in-law and top aide had during the transition period, the New York Times reported Monday.

In mid-December, Kushner met with Russian banker, Sergey Gorkov, who is an associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Gorkov is the head of Vnesheconombank, a state-owned Russian entity that is the subject of U.S. government sanctions. Gorkov was trained by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). He has not played a diplomatic role for Putin, which prompted questions about why he was meeting with Kushner during the transition, according to the Times, which cited current and former officials in its report. CBS News

Attorneys For Jared Kushner Say He’s Willing to Testify About Russian Meetings Before Congress

It was reported that White House senior advisor — and Donald Trump’s son-in-law — Jared Kushner is currently “under FBI scrutiny” in the Russia probe. It had previously been speculated that he was the “senior White House official” that the Washington Post reported was a “person of interest” in the investigation last week.

After this news broke, attorneys for Kushner told Politico that he’d discuss his meetings with Russians before Congress, a sentiment he has expressed before.

Lawyers for Jared Kushner said on Thursday that the White House senior adviser would be willing to testify before Congress about his past meetings with Russian officials after news broke that he was reportedly being scrutinized in the FBI investigation into connections between Trump associates and Russia.

Kushner, who met at least once last year with Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, as well as with Russian banker, Sergey Gorkov, had previously said he’d be willing to speak before Congress on the matter, a sentiment he reiterated Thursday night. Media ITE

Trump Stands By Kushner: ‘Jared is Doing a Great Job For the Country’

Donald Trump is standing by Jared Kushner.

In a statement to the New York Times, published late Sunday night, the 45th President of the United States said his son-in-law was doing a “great job for the country” and that he had “total confidence” in his performance thus far.

“Jared is doing a great job for the country,” Trump told the Times. “I have total confidence in him. He is respected by virtually everyone and is working on programs that will save our country billions of dollars. In addition to that, and perhaps more importantly, he is a very good person.”

The statement was embedded in a broader piece from all star reporters, Glenn Thrush, Maggie Haberman and Sharon LaFraniere, about the growing scandal currently engulfing Kushner about his Russian connections. According to the report, Trump’s words are in contrast to his actions in the West Wing, where he has increasingly chided his son-in-law and included him in diatribes against his broader staff. Media ITE