Jared Kushner may be turning on his father-in-law, with reports that he is now giving evidence to Robert Mueller that could ultimately lead to Donald Trump’s indictment in the Russia scandal.
Kushner has been serving as a senior adviser to Trump, but a report from Vanity Fair claims that Trump has soured on his son-in-law and a new report could shed light on why that happened. On Thursday, CNN reported that Kushner handed over documents to special counsel Robert Mueller and has been cooperating on the investigation of the firing of FBI Director James Comey in May.
Mueller’s investigation has already led to the indictment of Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a guilty plea from foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos. As the investigation moves closer to Trump’s inner circle, there are reports that the president and his administration and fearful of what could be coming next.
According to the CNN report, that might be Mueller focusing on Trump’s decision to fire Comey. Sources told CNN that Comey has been asking Kushner questions about how much influence Kushner had on the decision to fire the former FBI director and why exactly he was fired.
The White House offered varying reasons for Comey’s firing, initially saying it had nothing to do with the Russia investigation, though Trump later said it was indeed in relation to the investigation. Legal experts have said Trump could face charges of obstruction of justice for firing Comey, though it is not yet clear if Mueller’s investigation is focusing in on that charge.
In early October, the left-leaning Brookings Institution published a 108-page report finding that Trump likely committed obstruction of justice in his firing of Comey. The think tank noted that Trump would have the authority to fire the FBI director, but would not be permitted to do so if the reason was to get in the way or otherwise thwart an ongoing investigation.
Jared Kushner’s team turned over documents to special counsel in Russia investigation @CNNPolitics https://t.co/f3Y3nQXx25
— Muckmaker™ (@RealMuckmaker) November 2, 2017
“Attempts to stop an investigation represent a common form of obstruction. Demanding the loyalty of an individual involved in an investigation, requesting that individual’s help to end the investigation, and then ultimately firing that person to accomplish that goal are the type of acts that have frequently resulted in obstruction convictions,” Brookings analysts Barry Berke, Noah Bookbinder and Norman Eisen wrote (via CNBC ).
While the CNN report noted that Jared Kushner is not believed to be the target of Mueller’s investigation, his cooperation with the Russia probe could ultimately provide the evidence that brings indictments against President Donald Trump.
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