Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin

[essentialsaltes]

Ambassador Sergei Kislyak reported to his superiors in Moscow that Kushner, son-in-law and confidant to then-President-elect Trump, made the proposal during a meeting on Dec. 1 or 2 at Trump Tower, according to intercepts of Russian communications that were reviewed by U.S. officials. Kislyak said Kushner suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States for the communications.

Russia at times feeds false information into communication streams it suspects are monitored as a way of sowing misinformation and confusion among U.S. analysts. But officials said that it’s unclear what Kislyak would have had to gain by falsely characterizing his contacts with Kushner to Moscow, particularly at a time when the Kremlin still saw the prospect of dramatically improved relations with Trump.

Kushner’s apparent interest in establishing a secret channel with Moscow, rather than relying on U.S. government systems, has added to the intrigue surrounding the Trump administration’s relationship with Russia.

 

[Hank77]

From the article:
The Post reported in April that Erik Prince, the former founder of the private security firm Blackwater and an informal adviser to the Trump transition team, met on Jan. 11 — nine days before Trump’s inauguration — in the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean with a representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Prince is the brother of the new US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

 

[Winken]

.........when will we lift ourselves out of this quicksand and get down to tackling our own problems in the Senate and House? Is it even possible? I think this journey through poison oak is leading to the loss of the Senate in 2018, and big losses in the House.

 

[cow451]

I was going to make a comment about party lines but figured most here would be too young to remember those.

 

[Hank77]

I was going to make a comment about party lines but figured most here would be too young to remember those.

We were still on one on the east coast in 1962. When I moved here 40 years ago some people outside of town were still on party lines, including us, and were until about 1994 or so.

 

[jgarden]

Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin

One of the meetings between Jared Kushner, General Flynn and Russian Ambassador Kislyak took place in Trump Towers - Reuters is reporting that there were others!

Neither Kushner nor Flynn reported these contacts when applying for security clearances - that alone constitutes a felony than carries with it a prison term of 5 years!

"LOCK THEM UP!"

 

[jgarden]

Trump wanted Hillary "locked up" for using an unsecured private server

BUT

high ranking members of his campaign and administration, Jared Kushner and General Flynn, proposed using the Russian embassy's own secured server as a "back-channel" to avoid American intelligence surveillance!

 

[JGG]

Trump wanted Hillary "locked up" for using an unsecured private server

BUT

high ranking members of his campaign and administration, Jared Kushner and General Flynn, proposed using the Russian embassy's own secured server as a "back-channel" to avoid American intelligence surveillance!

I think the big difference is that the former could be hacked by a foreign government, for instance, the guys in the Kremlin where Intelligence Agencies would have no way of knowing what is being passed. The latter is quite literally a direct line to the Kremlin where Intelligence Agencies would have no way of knowing what is being passed.

 

[Fantine]

.........when will we lift ourselves out of this quicksand and get down to tackling our own problems in the Senate and House? Is it even possible? I think this journey through poison oak is leading to the loss of the Senate in 2018, and big losses in the House.

Let us pray that this is so. May it drag on until mid 2018, creating gridlock to derail Trump's budget and Healthcare (?) Proposals.

Then, when Trump's congressional enablers have been fully exposed, let's clean house and senate that November.

 

[Rion]

Ambassador Sergei Kislyak reported to his superiors in Moscow that Kushner, son-in-law and confidant to then-President-elect Trump, made the proposal during a meeting on Dec. 1 or 2 at Trump Tower, according to intercepts of Russian communications that were reviewed by U.S. officials. Kislyak said Kushner suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States for the communications.

Russia at times feeds false information into communication streams it suspects are monitored as a way of sowing misinformation and confusion among U.S. analysts. But officials said that it’s unclear what Kislyak would have had to gain by falsely characterizing his contacts with Kushner to Moscow, particularly at a time when the Kremlin still saw the prospect of dramatically improved relations with Trump.

Kushner’s apparent interest in establishing a secret channel with Moscow, rather than relying on U.S. government systems, has added to the intrigue surrounding the Trump administration’s relationship with Russia.

Seeing how Kushner is a big fan of intervention in the Middle East, I think that the potential gain is kind of obvious. Not saying that it didn't happen. Just pointing out the obvious gain.

 

[Hank77]

Kushner’s apparent interest in establishing a secret channel with Moscow, rather than relying on U.S. government systems, has added to the intrigue surrounding the Trump administration’s relationship with Russia.

Would this be something like Clinton establishing her own secure email server rather than relying on the US government system, which had been hacked in the past?

 

[DaisyDay]

Seeing how Kushner is a big fan of intervention in the Middle East, I think that the potential gain is kind of obvious. Not saying that it didn't happen. Just pointing out the obvious gain.

The problems are that he was a private citizen at the time and he neglected to mention it in his security vetting.

 

[DaisyDay]

Would this be something like Clinton establishing her own secure email server rather than relying on the US government system, which had been hacked in the past?

No, that wasn't illegal in itself (only sending or receiving classified information from it was, which was not done intentionally, and not done for anything marked as such at the time), whereas a private citizen making secret deals with a foreign government might be.

 

[Hank77]

The problems are that he was a private citizen at the time and he neglected to mention it in his security vetting.

I'm not positive but I think that it is more than that.

Sergey Kislyak reported to his superiors in December that Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, asked him about setting up a communications channel between the transition team and the Kremlin using Russian facilities in the United States.
Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin

 

[Hank77]

No, that wasn't illegal in itself (only sending or receiving classified information from it was, which was not done intentionally, and not done for anything marked as such at the time), whereas a private citizen making secret deals with a foreign government might be.

Yes, I was being facetious.
Not about the legality of it but about the methods used.