Kushner Questioned By Special Counsel Investigators

Updated at 2:45 a.m. ET

Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, was questioned last month by investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller, who are probing possible collusion between Russian officials and the Trump campaign to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.

In a meeting first reported by CNN and confirmed by NPR, the questions reportedly focused on former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who resigned weeks into the Trump administration following allegations of inappropriate contacts with Russian officials.

"Mr. Kushner has voluntarily cooperated with all relevant inquiries and will continue to do so," Kushner's attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement regarding the approximately 90-minute meeting.

Kushner was reportedly asked about a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a delegation of Russians offering what was described as an offer from the Russian government of "dirt" on campaign rival Hillary Clinton. The meeting was arranged by Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, and included both Kushner and Flynn, as well as campaign manager Paul Manafort, who was indicted a month ago on charges of conspiracy and money laundering.

CNN reports:

"Mueller's team asked Kushner to clear up some questions he was asked by lawmakers and details that emerged through media reports. One source said the nature of this conversation was principally to make sure Kushner doesn't have information that exonerates Flynn."

... There are growing indications that the special counsel is having discussions with Flynn about a possible plea deal. Flynn's attorney told Trump's legal team last week that he would no longer share information about the investigation."

The Associated Press adds that a person familiar with the investigation said "multiple White House witnesses have been asked about their knowledge of Flynn."

The news agency also reports that Trump Jr. will be interviewed next Wednesday behind closed doors by the House intelligence committee regarding the Russia investigation.

Last week, reports emerged that lawyers for Flynn had notified the president's legal team that they could no longer share information about the ongoing Russia investigation — a move widely viewed as signalling that Flynn was negotiating a deal with Mueller's office.

Earlier this month, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley, and ranking Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein said that Kushner had failed to hand over emails concerning contacts with WikiLeaks and a "Russian backdoor overture."

The emails in question were from September 2016, the same time Trump Jr. was exchanging direct messages with WikiLeaks via Twitter.

U.S. officials believe that WikiLeaks acted as a conduit for emails from the Democratic National Committee and senior Democratic officials who were hacked by Russia.

Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.