Does Jared Kushner’s Statement Offer Clarity? | Morning Joe

>>> ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS
STATEMENT PUT OUT BY JARED KUSHNER WHO IS OBVIOUSLY
ANSWERING A LOT OF QUESTIONS BEFORE STAFFERS AND THE SENATE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE TODAY. AND WE'RE POURING THROUGH WHERE
HE FOCUSED ON WHERE THE QUESTIONING IS GOING TO COME
FROM.
KASEY HUNT, YOU WERE READING IT. WHAT STANDS OUT YOU TO AT THIS
POINT? >> THERE ARE A COUPLE THINGS
WHERE HE DENIES ESSENTIALLY INSTEAD OF OFFERING A DEFENSE OR
AN EXPLANATION, HE IS DENYING HE DID SOMETHING THAT IS
POTENTIALLY QUESTIONABLE. WE TOUCHED ON THIS EARLIER.
BUT SETTING UP THAT BACK CHANNEL WITH THE RUSSIANS, IT'S REPORTED
THAT IS HIS IDEA. HE IN THE STATEMENT DENIES IT
WAS HIS SUGGESTION. HE SAYS THAT THIS CAME AT THE
REQUEST OF THE PEOPLE WITH WHOM HE WAS SPEAKING.
THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE A WAY TO SECURELY SPEAK TO HIM.
HE WAS ASKED DID THEY HAVE A SECURE LINE INTO THE OFFICE
THAT'S THEY WERE WORKING OUT OF AT THE TIME?
HE SAYS THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. AND IT WAS PUT OFF UNTIL AFTER
THE INAUGURATION. I THINK THAT IS A POTENTIALLY
IMPORTANT DETAIL. HE ALSO DENIES THAT HE SPOKE ON
THE PHONE WITH AMBASSADOR KISLYAK BETWEEN APRIL AND
NOVEMBER OF 2016. SO WHILE THE CAMPAIGN WAS GOING
ON. THAT, OF COURSE, WAS WHEN HE DID
MEET KISLYAK IN PERSON AT THAT MAYFLOWER HOTEL MEETING.
HE SAYS THAT LART HE COULDN'T EVEN REMEMBER THE AMBASSADOR'S
NAME AND HE HAD TO ASK STAFFER WHAT'S THE NAME WAS SO THAT HE
COULD THEN EVENTUALLY REACH OUT ONCE THE TIMING WAS MORE
APPROPRIATE DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD.
THERE IS ALSO A LITTLE INTERESTING NEW TIDBIT HERE.
HE SAYS HE RECEIVED DURING THE CAMPAIGN IN OCTOBER OF 2016.
AN E-MAIL FROM SOMEBODY GOING BY GUCHAFER 400.
HE SAID THAT E-MAIL EXISTED AND HE ALSO SAID HE SHOWED IT TO A
SECRET SERVICE AGENT WHO TOLD HIM HE SHOULDN'T DO ANYTHING
ABOUT IT. HE SHOULD JUST IGNORE IT.
SO THAT TELLS ME THAT PERHAPS THE COMMITTEE IS ASKING
QUESTIONS AROUND THIS AND THE REASON I TOOK NO ACTION UPON
BEING CON FRONTED WITH THIS AT THE TIME, HE WAS VERY MUCH IN
THE NEWS AS BEING AN AGENT OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
POTENTIALLY MEDDLING IN THE ELECTION.
AND HE ESSENTIALLY OFFERS AN EXPLANATION AND SAYS I ASKED LAW
ENFORCEMENT ABOUT IT. THEY TOLD ME TO DO NOTHING, SO I
D THESE ARE THE KEY POINTS POINLLY THAT YOU CAN SEE HIM
PRESSED ON TODAY. >> DAVID AND THEN JOHN, WE'LL GO
TO YOU. BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST IN -- RIGHT
IN THE PAST FEW MINUTES SOME COMMUNICATION WITH THE WHITE
HOUSE, I'M HEARING THIS IS REALLY AN EFFORT FOR FULL
TRANSPARENCY AND TO REALLY CLEAR HIS NAME.
DOES THIS RAISE MORE QUESTIONS OR HELP CLEAR THINGS UP?
>> WELL, I THINK IT DOES GIVE A CLEAR ACCOUNT OF THE KEY DATES
AND MEETINGS IN QUESTION. COMPARED TO WHAT WE GOT FROM THE
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND FROM SOME OF THOSE IN THE ADMINISTRATION.
THIS IS RELATIVELY STRAIGHT FORWARD.
IT IS CLEAR HE IS BEING COUNSELLED TO DELIVER TESTIMONY.
THE TESTIMONY IS TODAY IN SECRET.
BUT HERE'S A FAIRLY DETAILED PREPARED STATEMENT AS IT WERE BY
JARED KUSHNER. JUST A COUPLE THINGS THAT HAVE
STRUCK ME AS I'VE QUICKLY READ THROUGH THIS MORNING.
FIRST, ON THE QUESTION OF HIS CONTACTS WITH THE RUSSIANS AFTER
THE ELECTION. AS I READ THIS DOCUMENT, HE'S
SAYING THAT RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR KISLYAK SAID THAT HE HAD SOME
SPECIAL INFORMATION FROM RUSSIAN GENERALS FROM RUSSIAN MILITARY
OFFICIALS ABOUT THE WAR IN SYRIA.
THAT HE WANTED TO CONVEY TO KUSHNER RUSSIA'S VIEWS ABOUT THE
MILITARY SITUATION THAT WAS SO SENSITIVE THAT IT COULDN'T GO
THROUGH OTHER CHANNELS SO CAN WE HAVE A SECRET CHANNEL.
THAT IS A PUZZLER. THIS IS INFORMATION THAT
PRESUMABLY YOU WANT TO CHECK WITH THE U.S. SIDE WITH
SECRETARY KERRY. THERE WERE EXTENSIVE
U.S.-RUSSIAN DISCUSSIONS GOING ON AT THAT TIME.
THE SECOND POINT THAT COMES CLEAR IN THIS IS HE SAYS THAT
HIS FAILURE TO DISCLOSE HIS FOREIGN CONTACTS, CONTACTS WITH
KISLYAK AND OTHER RUSSIANS WAS INADVERTENT WHEN HE FIRST FILED
THIS SF-86 FORM. ONE OF THE THINGS HE USES TO
JUSTIFY THAT, GOSH, I LEFT OFF A LOT OF OTHER STUFF, TOO.
>> RIGHT. >> I HAD NO FOREIGN CONTACTS,
FOR EXAMPLE. HE TELLS US THAT IN THIS PERIOD
AFTER THE ELECTION HE MET WITH B.B. NETANYAHU, THE PRIME
MINISTER. HE HAD A LOT OF SECRET
CONVERSATIONS GOING ON. HE IS USING THOSE OTHER SECRET
CONVERSATIONS TO JUSTIFY THE FACT THAT HE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT
THIS. >> THAT'S NOT MAKING ME MORE
COMFORTABLE. HOW ABOUT YOU?
>> NOT MORE COMFORTABLE. THIS CHARACTERIZES HIM AS A MAN
WHO IS ACTED ON BY OTHERS. HIS DAD WANTED HIM TO MANAGE ALL
THESE CONTACTS. KISLYAK CALLED HIM UP.
HE DIDN'T DO THAT. SO HE'S PORTRAYING HIMSELF AS
THE PERSON HELPING HIS DAD WHO OTHERS ARE CALLING OR REQUESTING
BRINGING THE MEETINGS. >> I THINK THIS POINT THAT DAVID
IS MAKING IS VERY IMPORTANT IN BOTH OF THE POST ELECTION
MEETINGS ON THE SECURE COMMUNICATIONS CHANNEL AND ON
THE MEETING WITH GORKOV, WHAT KUSHNER IS SAYING IS KISLYAK DID
IT. HE SUGGESTED THE COMMUNICATIONS
CHANNEL. KISLYAK WANTED ME TO MEET THIS
RUSSIAN BANKER. BOTH THOSE THINGS MAY OR MAY NOT
BE TRUE. BUT THE ONE PERSON WHO IS NOT
GOING TO BE CALLED BEFORE A CONGRESSIONAL -- TO GIVE
CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY IS SERGEY KISLYAK.
WHETHER THERE THIS IS A TRUE ACCOUNT OR FALSE ACCOUNT, IT IS
A CONVENIENT ACCOUNT FOR KUSHNER TO LAY OFF INITIATING THE
MEETINGS AND BRINGING UP POTENTIALLY PROBLEMATIC
OVERTOURS AND PUTTING IT ALL ON THE FORMER RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR
AND SAYING, HEY, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST LISTENING.
GO TALK TO KISLYAK WHO IS NOW BACK IN MOSCOW.
>> CONVENIENTLY LEFT LAST WEEK. >> YEAH.
>> I WONDER, DOES THE AWE SHUCKS I FORGOT IT AND DIDN'T SEE IT, I
JUST DIDN'T INCLUDE IT
INADVERTENT, DOES THAT WORK WHEN YOU'RE AN FBI INVESTIGATOR
TRYING TO PUT ALL THE DOTS TOGETHER AND THE QUESTION OF
RUSSIA AND WHETHER OR NOT THIS PRESIDENT PUTIN HAS SOME SORT OF
INFLUENCE OVER HIM IS PREVAILING DURING THE CAMPAIGN?
IT'S REALLY IT EXPLODED ON OUR SHOW QUITE FRANKLY WHEN DONALD
TRUMP THE CANDIDATE TALKED SO KINDLY ABOUT PUTIN AND COULD NOT
PULL BACK FROM IT. >> YEAH, I THINK THE QUESTION I
HAVE IS WHICH IS MORE DANGEROUS? SOMEBODY WHO KNEW WHAT THEY WERE
DOING OR SOMEBODY THAT WASN'T AWARE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON
AROUND THEM? I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE
IS THIS FAMILY STYLE BUSINESS IS BEING RUN LIKE A MORTGAGE
COMPANY AND YET WE'RE FUNNELING ALL THE NATIONAL SECURITY
EFFORTS OF OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY ON ONE GUY WHO ADMITS AND N. THE
VERY FIRST PAGE HERE THIS WAS NEW TO HIM.
HE HAD NO REAL EXPERIENCE WITH HIM.
SO I THINK THE MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR AMERICA IS WHY
DIDN'T SOMEONE IN THE TRUMP TEAM SAY, HEY, LET'S GET SOME
EXPERIENCED AMBASSADOR, A VETERAN, A FOREIGN POLICY PERSON
TO WORK WITH JARED KUSHNER SO HE'S NOT STEPPING INTO A
DIPLOMATIC MEETING, AN INTEL MEETING, MILITARY ENGAGE MENT
AND ECONOMIC MEETING WITH PUTIN'S BANKER WITHIN THE FIRST
FOUR MONTHS? >> GOOD QUESTION.
>> THE LAST SEGMENT JOSH SAID A VARIETY OF THINGS THAT WERE
DISCONCERTING WHEN IT COMES TO THIS ADMINISTRATION'S APPROACH
TO RUSH YACHLT THE TOTALITY OF THIS ADMINISTRATION'S APPROACH
IS A LITTLE MORE CONFUSING. THE CUTTING OFF OF SUPPORT FOR
SYRIAN REBELS WHICH WAS DECISION WAS MADE FEWER THAN 24 HOURS
AFTER THEY MET PUTIN IS CONCERNING.
YOU ALSO HAVE AN ADMINISTRATION THAT IS SAYING THE CONFLICT IN
UKRAINE IS A RUSSIAN UKRAINIAN CONFLICT.
THAT IS PROVIDING MISSILE INTERSEPTEMBERORS TO POLAND.
THEY'RE DOING A LOT OF THINGS THAT RUSSIA DOESN'T LIKE.
SO YOU HAVE A CONFLICTING IMAGE HERE.
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT COMMUNICATIONS CRISIS IN THE
WHITE HOUSE THOOZ DO WITH HOW THE PRESIDENT FEELS LIKE HE'S
BEING PERCEIVED ON RUSSIA AND THROES DO WITH WHAT THEY'RE
ACTUALLY DOING WHEN IT COMES TO RUSH YACHLT.
>> -- RUSSIA. >> CAN THE PRESIDENT BE
INDICTED? A MEMO SAYS YES.
IT WAS WRITTEN WHEN BILL CLINTON

Does Jared Kushner’s Statement Offer Clarity? | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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