Trump’s son-in-law to face panel on Russia election hack

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will appear before a Senate panel investigating Russian interference in the US election, the White House said.

Kushner was Trump’s main intermediary with foreign governments during the 2016 election campaign and now plays that role in the White House.

According to international media reports, Kushner arranged meetings between Mr Trump and other world leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. But it is his contacts with Russian officials that are now coming under the microscope, amid explosive allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

Trump took to Twitter to insist that "Trump Russia story is a hoax," urging lawmakers to instead focus on his losing rival for the presidency, Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state.

US intelligence has concluded that Russia launched a broad-ranging campaign designed to help Trump win election.

In addition to investigations in the Senate and House of Representatives, an FBI probe of Russian interference in last year's presidential election, including Moscow's possible collusion with Trump's campaign, is placing the president under even more pressure over his Russia ties.

"Throughout the campaign and transition, Jared Kushner served as the official primary point of contact with foreign governments and officials," a White House official said.

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's 36-year-old son-in-law, is now serving as a senior adviser in the Trump administration. Though Jared didn’t have an official role during Trump's campaign, he was nevertheless seen as a "de facto campaign manager" and he later served as a member of Trump's transition team.