Jared Kushner Becomes Focus Of Trump-Russia Investigation, And Other Trump News From Thursday
Thursday, May 25th. Day 125.
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Jared Kushner Focus Of FBI Probe: According to FBI officials, Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and adviser, is now the focus of the FBI's investigation into Russia's interference into the US presidential election. According to sources, Kushner may have information relevant to the investigation. According to The Washington Post, Kushner has become the central focus — or target — of the investigation.
Sessions Will Appeal Travel Ban Decision To Supreme Court: Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that the Justice Department will take the injunction against Trump's travel ban to the Supreme Court. In a statement, he said "This Department of Justice will continue to vigorously defend the power and duty of the Executive Branch to protect the people of this country from danger, and will seek review of this case in the United States Supreme Court.
President Trump Calls Germany 'Evil' In Meeting: In a meeting with EU leaders, President Trump called Germany "very evil" during a discussion about trade deficits, saying that he'll end the sale of German cars in the US. Der Spiegel first reported the story (German).
Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Against Travel Ban: The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a district court's injunction against President Trump's travel ban. In the decision, the chief justice writes the ban "drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination."
Trump Calls On NATO Members To Spend More Money On Defense: At today's NATO meeting in Brussels, President Trump called for other members of NATO to contribute more money to the group, even as he refused to acknowledge article 5, which commits the US to respond to the attack of another member state — something he has refused to do as president.
Trump Calls For Investigation Into Leaks Of British Bombing Intel: After The New York Times published photos of debris from the Manchester bombing, British Prime Minister Theresa May called for the US to address its leak problem — suggesting that US intelligence leaked the photos. In response, Trump called for an investigation, saying: "The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling…These leaks have been going on for a long time, and my administration will get to the bottom of this."
Manafort Advised Trump On Russia Scandal: Former campaign chief Paul Manafort, who was forced to resign after scrutiny of his connections to the Kremlin and is now a focal point of the investigation into Trump's connection to Russia, reportedly advised Trump on the growing Russia scandal. A source tells Politico that Manafort called Trump to tell him that much of what was in a leaked dossier that supposedly outlined Russia's connections to Manafort was false. More explosively, Manafort reportedly suggested launching a counter-investigation into what he believed were Ukrainian efforts to influence the election in Hillary Clinton's favor.
Sessions Didn't Disclose Russian Meetings In Security Clearance App: When applying for his security clearance, Jeff Sessions did not include the same two meetings with Russian officials that he also omitted from his Senate confirmation hearing. The Justice Department reportedly told CNN that they were instructed to leave off meetings that were part of official Senate business, but a legal expert tells CNN that the meetings should have been included. The omission could spell trouble — Jared Kushner has had to backtrack to address similar omissions.
Russians Discusses Influencing Flynn And Manafort Last Summer: Wednesday evening the New York Times reported that American spies had collected intelligence last summer that Russian officials were discussing how to influence Trump aides, Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort, who had connections to Russia. The revelation adds to speculation swirling around Flynn's and the Trump campaign's connections to Russia.
Here's what happened Wednesday.
