President Trump came to the defense of son-in-law Jared Kushner and vouched “total confidence” in the top White House aide amid reports he attempted to set up back-channel communications with Russia during the transition.
“Jared is doing a great job for the country. I have total confidence in him,” Mr. Trump said in a New York Times report Monday. “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.”
White House officials had previously refused to address news reports about Mr. Kushner.
Last week, news reports identified Mr. Kushner as a person of interest in the ongoing FBI probe of alleged Trump campaign collusion with Moscow. That was followed by revelations that he attempted to set up back-channel communications between with the Russian ambassador in December, a move that is not out of the ordinary for incoming administrations.
The Washington Post and The New York Times reported that Mr. Kushner proposed using Russian facilities for the communications to avoid interception by U.S. intelligence agencies.
The FBI has been investigating since last summer allegations that Trump campaign officials colluded with Russian spies to interfere in the U.S. presidential election.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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