WASHINGTON (Washington Insider Magazine) – The House panel probing the Capitol violence on Jan. 6 questioned Jared Kushner, the first Trump family member as well as the highest-ranking executive from the prior administration, for nearly 6 hours on Thursday, according to a source in the room.
After Kushner voluntarily consented to talk with the panel, which Trump has blamed of orchestrating a “witch hunt,” the committee spoke virtually with Kushner. Jared is Trump’s son-in-law and a former senior White House advisor.
Kushner was described as friendly and cooperative by the source, who added that he conducted the talking rather than having his attorneys do it.
When questioned about Jared Kushner’s upcoming interview, White House director of communications Kate Bedingfield stated that the White House has decided not to assert executive privilege over his testimony, fundamentally enabling him to talk about conversations with Trump that would otherwise have been considered confidential.
Numerous witnesses have declined to answer the panel’s questions, claiming that only Trump, not President Joe Biden, has the authority to waive the privilege.
It’s uncertain what the panel specifically questioned Kushner. According to NBC NEWS, the panel was scheduled to probe Trump’s misleading assertions that he won the election, as well as other material relating to the fatal attack on the Capitol.
On January 6, 2021, Kushner was coming to Washington from a visit to Saudi Arabia while his wife, Ivanka Trump, was still in the White House meeting with her father.
In the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, the committee’s investigators were expected to question Kushner about any contact he had with Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Last week, CBS News and The Washington Post revealed that the panel had dozens of text conversations involving Thomas and then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows discussing how to keep Trump in power after the election. On November 13, 2020, one of Thomas’ messages purported to mention Kushner.
According to NBC News, the January 6 committee is in discussions with Ivanka Trump for a consensual interview after interviewing multiple witnesses and issuing dozens of subpoenas. In her interview, Bedingfield stated Tuesday that the White House will not use executive privilege.
