‘An Apparent Move to Shield Their Pre-Inauguration Discussions From Monitoring’
In early December, Jared Kushner told Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak he wanted to establish a secret, backchannel line of communications with the Kremlin, according to an exclusive report Friday evening by the Washington Post. The purpose: to prevent U.S. intelligence monitoring from discovering their communications.
“Jared Kushner and Russia’s ambassador to Washington discussed the possibility of 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,” the Washington Post reports.
“Kislyak said Kushner suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States for the communications,” the report notes. That conversation occurred on December 1 or December 2, at Trump Tower. “The meeting also was attended by Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser.”
As NCRM reported, nearly one month later President Barack Obama announced sanctions against Russia, which included ejecting 35 Russian intelligence operatives who were given 72 hours to leave the country. Obama also shuttered two Russian government-run compounds, one in Long Island and one in Maryland.
The Post reports for reasons unknown, it is believed the backchannel was not established.
Some responses by journalists and intelligence experts via Twitter:
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