Jared Kushner, the White House's key diplomat and business innovator, did not disclose dozens of encounters with foreign leaders when he applied for top-secret security clearance, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
In order for him to gain access to the country's best-kept secrets, the president's son-in-law was required to report all contacts he had with foreign government officials over the past seven years. Kushner, however, omitted dozens of meetings, including ones with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the U.S., and Sergey Gorkov, the head of Russia's state-owned Vnesheconombank. The Senate Intelligence Committee informed the White House two weeks ago that it sought to question Kushner about these meetings.
U.S. officials can lose access to intelligence if they fail to disclose foreign contacts, although amending the disclosure forms is often allowed so as to correct any gaps.
Kushner's lawyer, Jamie Gorelick, is calling the omissions an error. Gorelick said that Kushner simply submitted the forms prematurely and immediately requested the opportunity to provide additional information.
In a statement through his attorney, Kushner said he was willing to meet with the FBI to assuage any concerns.
“During the presidential campaign and transition period, I served as a point-of-contact for foreign officials trying to reach the president-elect. I had numerous contacts with foreign officials in this capacity," he said. "I would be happy to provide additional information about these contacts.”
The FBI is currently investigating potential ties between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. Kislyak and Gorkov, whom Kushner met with in December, are said to be subjects of the probe.
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