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Reported Talks by Jared Kushner With Russia Would Be ‘Good Thing,’ Trump Official Says - The New York Times

posted onMay 29, 2017
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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — John F. Kelly, President Trump’s homeland security secretary, on Sunday defended a reported effort by Jared Kushner, the president’s embattled son-in-law and key adviser, to establish a secret channel with Russia during the transition, calling it “a good thing.” “Any information flow into the government and then considered by the government, I won’t criticize that,” Mr. Kelly said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.” “All of these lines of communication are a positive thing, in my opinion.” Mr. Kelly’s remarks came amid news that Mr. Kushner was a focus of investigations into possible collusion between Russia and Mr. Trump’s associates during the campaign and transition, a development that has consumed an already-beleaguered White House. The president, home again after a nine-day trip overseas, quickly turned his Twitter account back into a political weapon on Sunday, assailing what he called the “fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media.” Mr. Trump’s administration has been straining to contain the fallout from news reports that Mr. Kushner spoke in December with Russia’s ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, about establishing a secret channel to Moscow to discuss the war in Syria and other matters. In television interviews on Sunday, Mr. Kelly defended Mr. Kushner’s conduct and his character generally. “He’s a great guy, decent guy. His No. 1 interest, really, is the nation,” Mr. Kelly said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “So, you know, there’s a lot o... Link to the full article to read more

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