Jared Kushner, son-in-law and close adviser to Donald Trump, testified Thursday, March 31, before the parliamentary inquiry commission responsible for shedding light on the assault by thousands of supporters of the former American president against the Capitol last year. last.
Ivanka Trump's husband is Donald Trump's highest adviser, and the first member of the Republican billionaire's family, to answer questions from this commission.
He spoke by videoconference and was heard voluntarily, without having received a subpoena.
Read alsoThe investigation into the assault on the Capitol is progressing step by step
On January 6, 2021, a large number of Donald Trump supporters invaded the Capitol, seat of the legislative power, to try to interrupt the certification by elected officials of Joe Biden's victory in the American presidential election in November 2020. That day , Jared Kushner, responsible for sensitive issues such as the Middle East peace process, was returning from a trip to Saudi Arabia and did not spend the night at the White House.
Elaine Luria, a member of the commission, told MSNBC that Jared Kushner had "been able to provide (their)
information voluntarily, in order to verify and support his own position"
on the election.
“It was really helpful to be able to talk to him
,” she said.
An eight-hour vacuum
This testimony is the culmination of a week of revelations in the press on the months preceding the attack, which had shaken American democracy.
Virginia Thomas, a conservative activist and wife of Dean Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, was revealed to have sent more than 20 messages between November 2020 and January 2021 to Mark Meadows, Donald Trump's chief of staff, imploring him to block Joe Biden's victory.
Jared Kushner's name appears in one of them, sent on November 13:
"I just forwarded to your gmail an email I sent to Jared this morning (...) better coordination now will help the cavalry to come in and expose the fraud and save America”
.
The American press also revealed a gap of nearly eight hours in the telephone calls made by Donald Trump from the White House on January 6, 2021, in particular during the period during which the demonstrators forced the entrance of the Capitol.
According to the commission, Donald Trump could have used unofficial channels, such as prepaid telephones, which are difficult to trace, which the ex-president has firmly denied.
Read alsoHow Donald Trump watched unfazed by the assault on the Capitol
The committee also wants to hear from Ivanka Trump, who was part of her father's inner circle of advisers and was in the White House on January 6.
She allegedly begged her father to condemn the violence, according to media reports.
The Biden administration indicated on Tuesday that it would refuse to grant Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump the executive prerogative that protects the confidentiality of communications between its members.
The commission is nearing the conclusion of its investigation and plans to hold public hearings in the spring.
The Ministry of Justice, which is investigating for its part on this attack which caused the death of at least five people,
"expanded
(its investigations)
to the preparation of the meeting" in
which Donald Trump had participated before the violence, including at those
"who helped plan it, fund it, and organize it"
, according to the daily
Washington Post
.