Jared Kushner claimed Tuesday that the investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential race were “far more harmful” to the country than Vladimir Putin’s effort to disrupt the election.
“You look at what Russia did — you know, buying some Facebook ads to try and sow dissent and do it, and it’s a terrible thing,” the president’s son-in-law and adviser said at a Time magazine forum in Midtown.
“But I think the investigations and all the speculation that’s happened for the last two years has had a much harsher impact on our democracy than a couple of Facebook ads.”
“If you look at the magnitude of what they did and what they accomplished,” Kushner added, referencing the Russians, “I think the ensuing investigations have been far more harmful to the country.”
Kushner also denied that the Trump campaign knew that Russia was trying to intervene on its side to ensure that Hillary Clinton never made it into the White house.
“First of all, in the campaign, we didn’t know that Russia was…,” Kushner began, before his host pointed out that US intelligence agencies revealed the Kremlin’s efforts in October 2016.
“The notion of what they were doing didn’t even register to us,” Kushner shot back.
In his report, special counsel Robert Mueller detailed numerous efforts by Russian intelligence to manipulate US public opinion throughout the election.
Kushner’s comments marked a contentious start to an interview that later focused on his successful effort to overhaul the federal criminal justice system.
Liberal and conservative activists have pushed for reforms for years — and both sides credited Kushner with pushing a reform bill over the finish line in December.
“Though we have many areas of disagreement with the White House, it was refreshing to find one area where we could work together,” said American Civil Liberties Union executive director Anthony Romero.
Kushner’s personal commitment to the issue “allowed us to break through,” he added.
Kushner says his passion for the issue came from watching his father be convicted on charges of tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign donations.