The second scoop
The law enforcement investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign has identified a current White House official as a significant person of interest, showing that the probe is reaching into the highest levels of government, according to people familiar with the matter.
The senior White House adviser under scrutiny by investigators is someone close to the president, according to these people, who would not further identify the official.
My guess is Kushner.
The investigation is moving into the more visible interviews and grand jury subpoenas now.
Although the case began quietly last July as an effort to determine whether any Trump associates coordinated with Russian operatives to meddle in the presidential election campaign, the investigative work now being done by the FBI also includes determining whether any financial crimes were committed by people close to the president. The people familiar with the matter said the probe has sharpened into something more fraught for the White House, the FBI and the Justice Department — particularly because of the public steps investigators know they now need to take, the people said.
This is how all presidencies go, right? No? This is unusual, and bad? Maybe next time we shouldn’t elect an obvious liar and crook.
The White House also has acknowledged that Kushner met with Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, in late November. Kushner also has acknowledged that he met with the head of a Russian development bank, Vnesheconombank, which has been under U.S. sanctions since July 2014. The president’s son-in-law initially omitted contacts with foreign leaders from a national security questionnaire, though his lawyer has said publicly he submitted the form prematurely and informed the FBI soon after that he would provide an update.
Yep, my guess is Kushner.
According to Ken White (of Popehat) and other legal people I’ve seen, “person of interest” is pretty meaningless, and this story specifically is legally weasel-worded. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing there, but it does warrant skepticism, especially since we have a strong motivation for taking it at face value.
[…] I thought so. The Post reports that the White House official identified as a person of interest last week is Kushner. […]