A meeting between Donald Trump’s son-in-law and the chairman of a Russian bank did not occur on Kremlin orders, a spokesman for Vladimir Putin said.
The meeting in December between Jared Kushner, who is a senior adviser to the US president, and Vneshekonombank head Sergei Gorkov, was included in a statement by Mr Kushner to US Congress as part of the probe into Mr Trump’s possible connections with Russia.
Mr Kushner said he had been asked to meet Mr Gorkov by Sergei Kislyak, then the Russian ambassador. Vneshekonombank is a state-owned development bank.
Mr Kushner spoke to reporters, but did not answer questions (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)
The Russian president’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “These contacts do not require any authorisation from the Kremlin and they were not carried out on behalf of the Kremlin.”
Mr Kushner, a senior White House adviser, declared on Monday he has “nothing to hide”.
Behind closed doors, Mr Kushner spoke to staff members of the intelligence committee for nearly three hours at the Capitol, then made a brief public statement back at the White House.
Jared Kushner did very well yesterday in proving he did not collude with the Russians. Witch Hunt. Next up, 11 year old Barron Trump!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017
“Let me be very clear,” he said. “I did not collude with Russia nor do I know of anyone else in the campaign who did so.”
Mr Kushner left without taking questions. In an 11-page statement, released hours before the Capitol session, he detailed four contacts with Russians during Mr Trump’s campaign and transition.
It aimed to explain inconsistencies and omissions in a security clearance form that have invited public scrutiny.
In the statement, Mr Kushner said that none of his contacts, which included meetings at Trump Tower with the Russian ambassador and a Russian lawyer, was improper.
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