Kushner met Russian bank executives: report

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior White House adviser, met with executives from a Russian bank during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to a new report.

Kushner spoke with Vnesheconombank (VEB) representatives during a bank roadshow last year, Reuters said Monday.

“[Roadshow meetings occurred] with a number of representatives of the largest banks and business establishments of the United States, including Jared Kushner, the head of Kushner Companies,” VEB said in an email, declining to say when and where the meetings happened.

{mosads}VEB added that its executives met representatives of financial institutes in Asia, Europe and the U.S. last year as part of preparing a new business strategy.

Reuters said VEB is under Western economic sanctions for Russia’s excursion into Ukraine but that simply meeting representatives of a U.S.-sanctioned entity does not violate either sanctions or the law.

VEB Chairman Sergey Gorkov is a graduate of the Federal Security Service (FSB), it said, which is Russia’s internal security agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Gorkov chairman of VEB in 2016, Reuters added, the same year the bank received 150 billion rubles — or about $2.6 billion — in support from Moscow.

Reports emerged Monday that the Senate Intelligence Committee will question Kushner as part of its probe into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

The committee wants to question Kushner about discussions he arranged with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak late last year.

The White House has previously acknowledged the December meeting at Trump Tower in New York City, which included Kushner, Kislyak and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

The meeting reportedly focused on improving U.S.-Russia ties and inspired Kislyak to request a second meeting with Kushner that was ultimately attended by a deputy for the latter.

Kislyak told Kushner’s deputy he wanted the White House senior adviser to meet Gorkov, resulting in the VEB executive huddling with Trump’s son-in-law at a later date.

“It really wasn’t much of a conversation,” White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks said of Kushner’s talks with Kislyak. “He isn’t trying to hide anything.”

FBI Director James Comey confirmed last week that his bureau is probing Russia’s meddling in the 2016 contest, including possible coordination between Moscow and Trump’s presidential campaign.