Jared Kushner releases statement ahead of Senate meeting, denies collusion

President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner has released a statement ahead of a talk today with staff on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

According to ABC News, Kushner says: “I did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government. I had no improper contacts.”

Kushner released the 11-page statement Monday morning. He is expected to tell congressional leaders details on his four meetings with Russian officials during the campaign and transition.

And according to the Associated Press, Kushner is blaming his assistant for filing a version of his security clearance questionnaire that left off any contacts with foreign governments.

He says the assistant accidentally filed the questionnaire while it was still being prepared. Kushner also says the initial form left off all foreign contacts, not just ones with Russians.

He says he eventually disclosed more than 100 contacts with people from more than 20 countries. Kushner says that list includes the King of Jordan, the prime minister of Israel and a high-ranking Mexican government official.

Also from the AP:

President Trump’s son-in-law says he received a “random email” during the presidential campaign from someone claiming to have Trump’s tax returns and demanding ransom to keep the information secret.

Jared Kushner says he interpreted the email as a hoax. Kushner says the email came from a person going by the name “Guccifer400.” The name is an apparent reference to Guccifer 2.0, an anonymous hacker who has claimed responsibility for breaking into the Democratic National Committee’s computer systems.

Kushner says the emailer demanded payment in Bitcoin, an online currency. Kushner says he showed the email to a Secret Service agent, who told him to ignore it. Kushner disclosed the details of the email ahead of a closed-door interview Monday with a Senate committee investigating Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.