Originally Posted by
Androidpk
Don't forget this bit:
Jared Kushner and Russia’s ambassador to Washington discussed the possibility of setting up a secret and secure communications channel between Trump’s transition team and the Kremlin, using Russian diplomatic facilities in an apparent move to shield their pre-inauguration discussions from monitoring, according to U.S. officials briefed on intelligence reports.
Ambassador Sergey 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.
Foreign policy experts and former officials told The Washington Post such a request of the Russians would be inappropriate unless carefully coordinated with the Obama administration, which was in office at the time. They said any secret communications could have left Kushner vulnerable to manipulation by Russian officials.
Kushner’s meeting with Kislyak was not initially disclosed when Trump’s son-in-law sought a security clearance. Media reports revealed the meeting, along with another private session Kushner had with a representative of a Russian bank.
“If you’re going to create a back channel that relies solely on the Russian communications and apparatus, that’s a really serious issue,” said Mark Lowenthal, a former assistant director at the CIA. “That’s extremely dangerous.”