Congress investigates Kushner’s email, messaging use

WASHINGTON—A House committee on Thursday asked the White House whether Jared Kushner, senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, used private accounts to communicate with foreign leaders and conduct government business. In a letter to White House counsel Pat Cipollone, House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., asked for relevant documents on Kushner and other current and former White House officials, including former strategist Steve Bannon, by April 4.

According to Cummings, Kushner’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, revealed in a Dec. 19 meeting with Cummings and then–Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., that Kushner used the encrypted messaging service WhatsApp and a private email address for government business. Cummings noted that Lowell said Ivanka Trump, Kushner’s wife and fellow White House adviser, also continued to receive messages related to government business in her personal email account. “Mr. Lowell could not answer whether Mr. Kushner’s communications included classified information—which would be a major security breach—but instead directed the committee to inquire with the National Security Council and the White House,” Cummings wrote.

The committee opened an investigation into White House officials’ use of personal email and messaging services in March 2017.

Lowell responded in a letter, saying Cummings was “not completely accurate” in describing their meeting. He denied revealing that Kushner communicated with foreign leaders or officials: “I said he has used those communications with ‘some people’ and I did not specify who they were.”

“As with all properly authorized Oversight requests, the White House will review the letter and will provide a reasonable response in due course,” White House spokesman Steven Groves said.