That’s the main argument of the 11-page statement Jared Kushner sent to congressional committees this morning ahead of his closed-door testimony today about his contact with Russian officials. In his written statement, Kushner denies collusion, insists he had “no improper contacts,” and says he has not relied on Russian money to finance his business activities.
The recently-discovered meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya prompted the questioning of Kushner, Donald Trump Jr., and Paul Manafort. In his written statement, Kushner describes the meeting as inconsequential. But Kushner allegedly hid the meeting from the FBI at least twice—which appears to be a textbook case of obstruction of justice. Kushner is at the center of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump team’s ties to Russia, so what Kushner does, or doesn’t say today could change the direction of the entire investigation.
ACTION OF THE DAY
Let’s do it again. Make no mistake: Trumpcare is not dead yet. The Senate is scheduled to take an vote tomorrow to officially take up the bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act tomorrow afternoon. And too many Senators still haven’t made up their mind. Go to TrumpcareToolkit.org to see the list of Senators who need to hear from you most. We’ve stopped this bill before. Let’s do it again.
WHAT’S TRENDING
Sanctions. Over the weekend, Congress unveiled the most recent version of legislation to impose sanctions on Russia in response to the country’s meddling in our election and its treatment of neighboring countries. Trump has—surprise!—long been opposed to harsher sanctions on Russia. But this legislation severely limits Trump’s ability to weaken or end the sanctions, leaving him with the choice of vetoing the sanctions bill altogether or accepting Congress’ move. The bill is expected to be voted on by the House and Senate in the next few days.
Sessions. Another character in the center of this Russia thing with Trump. Over the weekend, the Washington Post reported that Sessions had previously-undisclosed conversations with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the campaign about campaign-related matters. Sessions first failed to disclose the conversations in the first place, then he said they were not campaign-related.
Creative Change. In this week’s episode of Off-Kilter, host Rebecca Vallas takes a break from the DC grind and goes to Sundance to talk to artists, comedians, writers, documentarians, and others using art and culture to make change, at the Opportunity Agenda’s annual Creative Change retreat. Listen here.
#RaiseTheWage. Today marks 8 years that the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour. Tomorrow at 1pm at the House Triangle, join congressional minority leaders and authors of Raise the Wage Actt: Rep. Bobby Scott and Keith Ellison, Sen. Sanders and Murray as they call on leadership to raise the min wage.
UNDER THE RADAR
#NoBanNoWallNoRaids. The Trump administration is continuing to ramp up its assault on immigrant families—now targeting children for arrest and deportation. This week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are planning raids to arrest and deport unaccompanied minors who are “suspected gang members.” ICE officials said minors could be identified as gang members “if they meet two or more criteria, including having gang tattoos, frequenting an area notorious for gangs and wearing gang apparel.” This represents just the latest cruel step in the administration’s extreme attacks on immigrants and refugees.
GOOD NEWS
A New Deal. Too many American families are still struggling to get ahead, and in the six months of Trump’s presidency, he’s made it clear that he is only concerned about the success and wellbeing of one person: himself. That’s why Senate minority leaders are introducing an agenda to give Americans a better deal.