Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of the Trump campaign's possible ties to Russia has expanded to include the finances and business dealings of senior adviser Jared Kushner, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
Kushner, who is President Donald Trump's son-in-law, joins a list of several former associates whose financial dealings are being examined by FBI agents and federal prosecutors, according to the Post.
The report is based on "officials familiar with the matter."
In addition, "the officials who described the financial focus of the investigation spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly."
Mueller's investigation "is still in a relatively early phase, and it is unclear if any criminal charges will be brought when it is complete," according to the newspaper.
"We do not know what this report refers to," Jamie Gorelick, Kushner's lawyer, told the Post. "It would be standard practice for the special counsel to examine financial records to look for anything related to Russia.
"Mr. Kushner previously volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about Russia-related matters," Gorelick said. "He will do the same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry."
Kushner has agreed to discuss his Russian dealings with the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting one of several probes into Moscow's role in last year's election.
Peter Carr, a Mueller spokesman, declined to comment directly, saying only that "the Special Counsel’s Office has undertaken stringent controls to prohibit unauthorized disclosures and will deal severely with any member who engages in this conduct."
Others being investigated as part of the Russia probe include former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Carter Page, a Trump campaign foreign policy adviser.
Last month, the Post disclosed two meetings Kushner had with Russians in December were under scrutiny by investigators.
One, with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, Kushner suggested setting up a secured back-channel communications system with Trump officials and Moscow at the Russian Embassy, according to U.S. officials.
The second meeting was with Sergey Gorkov, the head of Vnesheconombank, the Russian state-owned development bank that is facing U.S. sanctions for Moscow's annexation of Crimea.
The White House has said the latter session was a diplomatic encounter that occurred before Trump's inauguration in January.
It was a business meeting, occurring because of Kushner’s role as head of his family's real estate company, administration officials said.
Kushner’s company had been seeking financing for a $1.8 billion purchase of an office building on Fifth Avenue in New York, the Post reports.
The meeting with the banker "could raise questions about whether Kushner's personal financial interests were colliding with his impending role as a public official," according to the dispatch.
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