The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol interviewed its first Trump family member and the highest-ranking official from the previous administration, meeting with Jared Kushner on Thursday for more than six hours, a source in the room said.
The panel met virtually with Kushner — Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a former top White House adviser — after he voluntarily agreed to speak with the committee, which Trump has accused of conducting a “witch hunt.”
The source described Kushner as being cooperative and friendly, adding that he did the talking, as opposed to having his lawyers speak for him.
The committee did not immediately comment on Kushner’s appearance.
Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., a member of the Jan. 6 committee, told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace that Kushner “was able to voluntarily provide information to us to verify, substantiate, provide his own take on this different reporting,” adding, “So it was really valuable for us to have the opportunity to speak to him.”
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A representative for Kushner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Asked about Kushner’s planned interview this week, White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said the “White House has decided not to assert executive privilege over the testimony of Jared Kushner,” essentially allowing him to speak about discussions with Trump that would otherwise be considered confidential.
Several witnesses have refused to answer the committee’s questions by arguing that only Trump can waive that privilege, not President Joe Biden.
It’s unclear what exactly the committee asked Kushner. The panel had been expected to inquire about Trump’s false claims that he won the election and other information related to the deadly attack on the Capitol.
While Kushner’s wife, Ivanka Trump, was in the White House and met with her father on Jan. 6, 2021, Kushner was returning to Washington from a trip to Saudi Arabia.
The panel’s investigators had also been expected to ask Kushner about any dealings he had with Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, in the lead-up to Jan. 6.
The Washington Post and CBS News reported last week that the committee has dozens of text messages between Thomas and then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, in which they discussed keeping Trump in office after the election. One of Thomas’ texts, dated Nov. 13, 2020, appeared to refer to Kushner.
“Just forwarded to yr gmail an email I sent Jared this am. Sidney Powell & improved coordination now will help the cavalry come and Fraud exposed and America saved,” the message was reported to say.
NBC News has not independently reviewed the texts. A source familiar with the materials confirmed the veracity of the messages cited by The Post and CBS. Thomas did not respond to a request for comment last week.
The Jan. 6 panel, which has interviewed hundreds of witnesses and issued dozens of subpoenas, is also in talks with Ivanka Trump for a voluntary interview, NBC News has reported. Bedingfield said Tuesday that the White House would not assert executive privilege in her interview, either.
Julia Jester and Peter Alexander contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
