Report: Special counsel investigating business dealings of Jared Kushner
Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the finances and business dealings of Trump son-in-law and top adviser Jared Kushner, in relation to his investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election, the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
CBS News confirmed late last month that Kushner is under scrutiny in the probe into Russian election meddling. The special counsel's office did not respond to a request for comment on the report.
Kushner's lawyer, Jamie Gorelick, issued a statement reading, "We do not know what this report refers to. It would be standard practice for the Special Counsel to examine financial records to look for anything related to Russia. Mr. Kushner previously volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about Russia-related matters. He will do the same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry."
FBI agents and federal prosecutors have also been examining the financial dealings of other Trump associates, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Carter Page, who was listed as a foreign-policy adviser for the campaign.
Federal investigators are looking into meetings Kushner held in December with Russia's ambassador and a banker from Moscow, CBS News previously reported. The banker, Sergey Gorkov, is the head of VEB Bank, a state-owned Russian entity that is the subject of U.S. government sanctions. Gorkov was trained by Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB.
CBS News also previously reported that when Jared Kushner met with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak in December, Kushner discussed setting up a backchannel for communications between the Trump transition team and Russian officials.
CBS News' Andres Triay and Arden Farhi contributed to this report.