Top Trump advisers dodge questions about Kushner's Russian Federation

Still, the Kushner questions persisted.

President Donald Trump's top economic and national security advisers on Saturday declined to comment on the swirl of allegations that Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner is facing regarding his contacts with Russian officials.

Kushner's involvement in the proposed back channel was first reported by The Washington Post, which said he proposed using Russian diplomatic facilities for the discussions, apparently to make them more hard to monitor.

The Washington Post reported on Friday that, according to Kislyak's account of the conversation as he relayed it to his bosses in Moscow, Kushner proposed the private line during a meeting either on December 1 or 2 at Trump Tower. The Washington Post reported that Kushner's proposal took Kislyak by surprise. The source called Kushner's alleged ploy, "extremely naive or absolutely insane".

The Senate and House Intelligence committees also are investigating, but not with an eye to bringing criminal charges.

Ian Bassin, who worked in President Barack Obama's White House counsel office, told POLITICO that a knowledge of the rules and precedents in these sorts of investigation would serve Trump and his staff well in the coming investigation. Below the surface members of Trump's team have been deeply divided, which is not surprising given Trump's management style. US presidents traditionally hold news conferences when they travel overseas.

Flynn was pushed out of the White House in February after officials said he misled Vice President Mike Pence about whether he and the ambassador had discussed USA sanctions against Russian Federation in a phone call. Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Clinton of being behind anti-government protests in his country and tough on sanctions.

Investigators are also interested in a meeting Kushner had with the Russian banker, Sergey Gorkov, according to reports from The Post and NBC News.

The Post first reported the request, which covers materials such as emails, phone records and documents dating to Trump's first days as a candidate in July 2015.

Kushner, like his father-in-law, is a wealthy businessman and heir to a family-run NY real estate empire. Last week, The Washington Post revealed, "The investigative work now being done by the Federal Bureau of Investigation also includes determining whether any financial crimes were committed by people close to the president".

Kushner's lawyer, Jamie Gorelick, told CNN in response to the Reuters report: "Mr. Kushner participated in thousands of calls in this time period". "He will do the same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry". He urged reporters to instead ask him about foreign policy and national security issues that would have come up during the President's first foreign trip, which has been dogged by the incessant flow of new allegations surrounding the President's campaign associates' contacts with Russian officials. Conservative Bill Kristol tweeted Saturday, "It's not only that the Trump administration wanted a back channel to Russian Federation, it's that the Trump family did". They include his unrealistic and callous budget proposal, his ineptness in dealing with health insurance, and whether the USA should withdraw from the Paris Accord on climate change.

The Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, has requested information and documents from Mr Trump's campaign.