Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, denied any collusion with Moscow and insisted he had nothing to hide when he appeared before the first of two congressional committees on Monday.
In his opening statement, released before the private hearing, he said: “I did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government.
“I had no improper contacts.
“I have not relied on Russian funds to finance my business activities in the private sector.”
Mr Kushner has come under intense suspicion after it emerged he failed to declare several interactions with Russian officials during and after the 2016 election campaign.
The steady drip of revelations – most recently that he was present at a meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer and lobbyist who claimed they had damaging information about Hillary Clinton – has cast a deep shadow over the White House.
Mr Kushner faces two days of intense questioning. On Monday, he appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee and on Tuesday will go before its House equivalent.
Mr Trump laid down some distracting covering fire in the minutes before the first session was due to start, tweeting: “So why aren’t the Committees and investigators, and of course our beleaguered [attorney general], looking into Crooked Hillary’s crimes & Russia relations?”
Mr Kushner, who is married to the president’s daughter Ivanka, confirmed to the committee he had been present at the meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya, the lawyer who reportedly offered damaging information on Mrs Clinton. He said he arrived late to discover the participants were discussing Moscow’s ban on Americans adopting Russian children.
“I had no idea why that topic was being raised and quickly determined that my time was not well-spent at this meeting,” he said, adding that he emailed an aide for help in leaving politely.
“Can u pls call me on my cell? Need excuse to get out of meeting,” he wrote, adding that he gave it no more thought until details emerged recently.
Those details – in an email chain released by Donald Jr, the president’s son – suggested Mr Kushner had been sent information suggesting the meeting had been set up after an intermediary said the Russian government wanted to help Mr Trump win the election.
However, Mr Kushner said he received more than 200 emails a day during the campaign.
“I did not have the time to read every one, especially long emails from unknown senders or email chains to which I was added at some later point in the exchange,” he said.
Mr Kushner will also face questions about reports he tried to set up a secret back channel to Moscow.
In his statement, he said the matter last December by Sergey Kislyak, Russian ambassador to Washington, who wanted a secure line to the Trump transition office through which to discuss Syria.
Mr Kushner said the ambassador was told no such line existed before he asked whether such a channel might exist already at the Russian embassy. The matter was dropped, he added, when the ambassador told him that was not possible.
“Nothing else occurred. I did not suggest a ‘secret back channel,’” he said.
“I did not raise the possibility of using the embassy or any other Russian facility for any purpose other than this one possible conversation in the transition period. We did not discuss sanctions.”
He also insisted that omissions on his security clearance form were simply the result of sending an incomplete draft by mistake.
His statement concludes: “Hopefully, this puts these matters to rest.”
Observers said the words amounted to an unequivocal baseline against which investigators could compare their evidence.
Ron Brownstein, senior editor at the Atlantic, told CNN: “There are no subordinate clauses here.”
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
MATCH DETAILS
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum (14), Oxlade-Chamberlain (52)
Genk 1
Samatta (40)
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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