Some of President Donald Trump’s lawyers pushed for him to fire son-in-law Jared Kushner amid the flood of summer revelations over his Russia contacts – but the idea ultimately got spiked.
Trump’s lawyers considered the idea of urging Kushner get axed – a proposition that would have required urging the president to fire one of his most trusted advisors, not to mention Ivanka Trump’s husband. But the idea apparently fizzled.
The legal advisors kicked around the idea of removing Kushner after it was revealed he was one of the staffers who attended a meeting with a Russian lawyer in Trump Tower to discuss potential dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Donald Trump Jr. and former campaign chair Paul Manafort also attended.
Some of President Donald Trump’s lawyers considered the idea of urging son-in-law Jared Kushner get axed, according to reports
Trump lawyer John Dowd didn’t deny the idea of sacking Kushner came up, but told the Wall Street Journal he disagreed with it.
‘I didn’t agree with that view at all. I thought it was absurd,’ Dowd said. ‘I made my views known.’ He said that to his knowledge the idea never reached Trump.
Then Dowd vouched for his client’s son-in-law, calling him ”absolutely terrific’ and ‘a great asset, real gentleman, a pleasure to work with.’
CURRENTLY EMPLOYED: Jared Kushner walks from his Washington DC home to his Secret Service SUV where he is driven to his job at the White House
‘I didn’t agree with that view at all. I thought it was absurd,’ said Trump attorney John Dowd
CBS confirmed the idea came up after the lawyers learned about Kushner’s attendance at the meeting, which included Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Vesselnitksaya.
Kushner was also becoming a potential liability as it came to light he had to make multiple revisions to the signed disclosure form he filed on his past foreign contacts in order to join the government.
It eventually emerged that he had more than 100 contacts that he didn’t disclose.
Marc Kasowitz, Trump’s personal lawyer who has taken a diminished role with new lawyers coming on board, said he didn’t participate in such a discussion.
“I never discussed with other lawyers for the President that Jared Kushner should step down from his position at the White House,’ said Trump lawyer Marc Kasowitz
Attorney Ty Cobb recently joined the White House staff to help Trump fend off the Russia investigation
Don McGahn is White House counsel, advising the president on a range of issues, but is not part of his personal legal team
Jay Sekulow joined Trump’s legal team in June
“I never discussed with other lawyers for the President that Jared Kushner should step down from his position at the White House, I never recommended to the President that Mr. Kushner should step down from that position and I am not aware that any other lawyers for the President made any such recommendation either,’ he told the paper, which didn’t name which lawyers were behind the idea.
After lawyers raised the idea with Trump, the president said he saw no reason for Kushner to step down, the Journal reported.
Kushner continues in his role as a senior advisor with a role that includes Middle East peace efforts, China, and other issues.
Although the idea apparently got spiked, press aides prepared statement to explain a Kushner resignation that didn’t happen. A person familiar with the matter said by staying on, Kushner risked entangling other White House aides in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.