Special counsel Robert Mueller is circling his investigation around Jared Kushner’s interaction with foreign leaders. Mueller’s team is now looking into whether Kushner played a role in efforts to halt a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank that was approved Dec. 23, according to the Wall Street Journal .
Previous efforts to pass a similar resolution were vetoed in the past by the United States. However, the Obama administration chose not to veto the resolution in December, according to the Times of Israel .
Kushner reportedly had interactions with top Israeli officials who reached out to him and other members of President Donald Trump’s transition team, including Steve Bannon, in an effort to prevent the resolution’s passing, according to the Wall Street Journal . These interactions have reportedly been the focus of Mueller’s most recent investigation into Kushner.
Trump has been a vocal supporter of Israel on Twitter and throughout his presidential campaign. The day of the UN’s decision, Trump tweeted “things will be different after Jan. 20th.” His team attempted to obtain contact information for members of the security council ahead of the vote, according to the Times of Israel , but the White House denied his request.
Kushner has a personal relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Times of Israel, stretching back to before Trump’s presidential campaign.
Mueller began investigating Trump’s son-in-law earlier this year , according to Vanity Fair , beginning with whether Trump’s presidential campaign colluded with Russian officials to land an electoral victory. Kushner has repeatedly denied suggestions that he colluded with Russians.
Earlier this month, Kushner turned documents over to Mueller related to Kushner’s role in Trump’s decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey. Mueller is reportedly also investigating the role Kushner may have had in arranging meetings with foreign leaders during the transition period, as well as his finances and businesses, in order to determine if there was any collusion or payouts.
Kushner met with more than 100 officials during the transition period, according to Vanity Fair , and said four of the officials he met were Russian officials.
Investigators are not targeting Kushner specifically, according to CNN , but Mueller’s team continues to explore the interactions members of Trump’s team had with Russians before the inauguration.
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