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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 24 april 2019

Kushner plays down Russia’s interference in 2016 election

By JONATHAN LEMIRE Trump Jr. and campaign
Associated Press chairman Paul Manafort
NEW YORK (AP) — White when a Kremlin-connected
House senior adviser Jared lawyer offered dirt on rival
Kushner said Tuesday the Hilary Clinton’s campaign.
investigations into Russia’s But Kushner said he texted
interference in the 2016 an aide to get him out of
presidential election “had the meeting because he
a much harder impact on found it unhelpful.
our democracy” than what When asked Tuesday why
Russia actually did. the Trump campaign did
Mere days after Americans not reject Russian attempts
read a redacted version to get close to the cam-
of special counsel Rob- paign, Kushner said, “We
ert Mueller’s report on the didn’t know that Russia was
election meddling, Kushner doing what they were do-
minimized Russia’s involve- ing.” “The notion of what
ment by describing it as they were doing didn’t
“buying some Facebook even register to us as be-
ads to try to sow dissent.” ing impactful,” he said.
“Quite frankly, the whole “When the whole notion of
thing’s just a big distraction the Russian collusion narra-
for the country,” Kushner, tive came up, I was the first
the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Senior Adviser to President Donald Trump, speaks during the TIME 100 Summit, in person to say ‘I’m happy
said in a rare public ap- New York, Tuesday, April 23, 2019. to participate with any in-
pearance at the Time 100 Associated Press vestigations.’ I thought the
Summit. ernment interfered in the stance that the probe was “So if you look at the mag- whole thing was kind of
Kushner continued: “It’s 2016 presidential election hoax perpetuated by the nitude of what they did and nonsense, to be honest with
a terrible thing, but I think “in sweeping and system- president’s foes. what they accomplished, I you.” Shortly after Kush-
the investigations and all atic fashion” and that its Kushner, in his first com- think the ensuing investiga- ner’s interview, which was
the speculation that hap- efforts were designed to ments since the redacted tions have been way more broadcast online, President
pened for the past two help Trump. Kushner, who version was released last harmful to our country,” Donald Trump took to Twit-
years has had a much has one of the most in- week, said the Trump cam- said Kushner, who helped ter to praise his son-in-law.
harsher impact on democ- fluential voices inside the paign spent far more on lead his father-in-law’s up- “Great interview by Jared,”
racy than a couple Face- White House, has at times Facebook ads in a matter start campaign. the president wrote. “Nice
book ads.” been viewed as a moder- of hours than the Russians Kushner was present in to have extraordinarily
Mueller’s report conclud- ating force yet he echoed did over the course of the the June 2016 Trump Tow- smart people serving our
ed that the Russian gov- his father-in-law’s hardline election. er meeting with Donald Country!”q

Hillary Clinton: Mueller report is beginning, not the end

NEW YORK (AP) — Special misdemeanors. If elected She likened it to her experi-
counsel Robert Mueller’s officials believe that he did, ence as a young attorney
report is only the beginning “then I think it is the obli- working on the case for
of a reckoning on election gation of Congress to put the impeachment against
meddling, not the end, forward the articles of im- Richard Nixon, which she
and “raises some serious peachment,” Clinton said said won the trust and con-
questions,” Hillary Clinton at an appearance in New fidence of the public with
said Tuesday. York City for the Time 100 its professionalism and non-
The former Democratic Summit, where she called partisanship. Clinton also
presidential candidate for the full, unredacted re- said the Department of Jus-
stopped short of calling for port to be released. tice’s stance that a sitting
immediate impeachment She said an analysis “should president can’t be indicted
proceedings, however, be something undertak- benefited Trump.
and said Congress should en in a really serious way “I think there’s enough
instead conduct a serious based on evidence,” and there that any other person
analysis of whether Presi- not a preordained conclu- who had engaged in those
Hillary Clinton speaks during the TIME 100 Summit, in New York,
Tuesday, April 23, 2019. dent Donald Trump com- sion for partisan political acts would certainly have
Associated Press mitted high crimes and reasons. been indicted,” she said.q