White House Refuses to Address Kushner Reports

TAORMINA, Sicily (AP) — President Donald Trump's top advisers are refusing to address reports that his son-in-law and a top Russian diplomat may have discussed setting up a secret communications channel.

In a press conference in Sicily, Saturday, advisers H.R. McMaster and Gary Cohn declined to comment on new revelations about Jared Kushner's communications with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak.

The Washington Post reported Friday that Kislyak told his superiors that he and Kushner discussed setting up a back channel between Trump's transition team and the Kremlin.

The White House in March confirmed that Kushner and Kislyak met at Trump Tower in December for what one official called a brief courtesy meeting.

McMaster adds, "we have back channel communications with a number of countries."

He says, "it allows you to communicate in a discreet manner."