White House Shakes As Russia Probe Pierces Trump’s Inner Circle

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, led other eminent Nigerians to Uromi, country home of the former chairman, Board of Trustees of People Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, for the burial of his late wife, Dame Patricia Anenih.

Others were Governor of Delta state, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; former Governors of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan; and Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman, Dangote Group.

At the Requiem Mass officiated by the Archbishop of Benin Catholic Metropolitan Sea, Most Rev. Dr. Augustine Obiora Akubeze and Bishop of Auchi Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Gabriel Dunia; they admonished Christians to live worthy lives.

Also present were Senators Banarbas Gemade, Clifford Ordia and Matthew Urhoghide, Binta Garba; former Senator Odion Ugbesia, Hon. Cairo Ojougbo, Deputy National Chairman, Modu-Sheriff faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); and honourable members of the Federal House and State Assembly.

The revelation, if confirmed, would raise new questions about the Trump team’s relationship with the Russians, who US intelligence agencies say tried to sway the November election in Trump’s favor.

News reports said the White House, reeling from the explosive developments in the long-running Russia saga, is creating a new rapid-fire communications unit to respond to the controversy, led by Kushner, senior presidential adviser Steve Bannon and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.

White House officials declined to comment on Saturday, ahead of Trump’s return to Washington following his first overseas trip.

“We’re not going to comment on Jared, we’re just not going to comment,” said Gary Cohn, Trump’s chief economic adviser, during a press conference in Italy as a G7 summit wound down.

National Security Advisor HR McMaster refused to talk about the allegations but said that in general, “We have backchannel communication with a number of countries. What that allows you to do is communicate in a discrete manner.”

“I would not be concerned about it,” he added.

But a former head of the US National Security Agency harshly condemned Kushner’s alleged effort to set up a secret communications line, saying if it’s true, it would reveal a dangerous degree of ignorance or naivete.

“What manner of ignorance, chaos, hubris, suspicion, contempt would you have to have to think that doing this with the Russian ambassador was a good or appropriate idea?” Michael Hayden said on CNN.

He said he leaned toward “naivete” as an explanation, though he did not find it comforting.

Malcolm Nance, a retired naval officer and expert on terrorism and intelligence, said: “This is now sinister. There is no way this can be explained, from the intelligence perspective.”

“That is indicative of espionage activity of an American citizen that is working in league with a hostile government,” he told MSNBC.

The Washington Post said Kushner’s secret communications proposal was made December 1 or 2 at Trump Tower in New York, according to intercepts of Russian communications that were reviewed by US officials.

Michael Flynn, who was Trump’s national security adviser for just 24 days before being fired amid questions about meetings he held with the Russian ambassador, was also present, the newspaper reported.

The Post said the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, was surprised by the future White House aide’s idea of a secret channel and passed it on to the Kremlin.

The New York Times said the channel was never established.

Trump will return to Washington to face a cascade of other worries related to the Russia probe in the coming days, including expected testimony by fired former FBI director James Comey before a Senate committee.

In another development, The New York Times reported Friday that Oleg Deripaska, a Russian once close to Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort, has offered to cooperate with congressional bodies probing alleged Russian election meddling.