White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Tuesday declined to answer any questions about whether Jared Kushner, President Trump’s adviser and son-in-law, tried to set up a backchannel line of communication with Russian officials during the transition, and said he would not answer any questions about it because nothing has been confirmed.
“What your question assumes is a lot of facts that are not substantiated by anything but anonymous sources that are so far being leaked out,” he said at the White House briefing when asked.
“You’re asking if he approves of an action that is not a confirmed action,” he said later. “Your question pre-supposes facts that [have] not been confirmed.”
Spicer declined to answer questions even after it was pointed out that Trump tweeted out an article defending the backchannel, and was asked if that means Trump was confirming the reports about Kushner.
Spicer said only that Kushner has agreed to tell members of Congress what happened, but declined to say more.
“I would just say that Mr. Kushner’s attorney has said that Mr. Kushner’s volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about these meetings and he will do the same if he is contacted in connect[ion] with any other inquiry,” Spicer said.
The Washington Post reported last Friday that Kushner, son-in-law and a key advisor to the president had discussed “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.”
Over the weekend, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly defended the idea, and responded to questions about it by saying, “I don’t see a big deal.”
“I mean, multiple ways to communicate back and forth is a good thing with any country I think, and particularly a country that’s like Russia, so it doesn’t bother me,” Kelly said Sunday on Fox.
Spicer used Kelly’s answers when responding to reporters.
“Again, I would just refer to you what the comments that Secretary Kelly, Gen. McMaster have said about how they can be important tool in diplomacy,” he said.
