Jared Kushner Image by Department of Defense

By Aiden Pink November 1, 2017

President Trump is blaming Jared Kushner’s bad advice for leading to the investigations that now threaten his presidency, Vanity Fair reported Wednesday.

Trump reportedly complained in a phone call to Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist who now runs the pro-Trump Breitbart news website, that Kushner encouraged him to fire National Security Adviser Mike Flynn and FBI Director James Comey, which led directly to the formation of the special inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election, led by Robert Mueller.

When sometime-adviser Roger Stone told Trump in a separate phone call that his son-in-law was giving him bad advice, Trump agreed, the report added.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“Jared is the worst political adviser in the White House in modern history,” former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg told Vanity Fair. “I’m only saying publicly what everyone says behind the scenes at Fox News, in conservative media, and the Senate and Congress.”

Kushner himself has not been named in any of the charges or statements released by Mueller, though Kushner’s meetings in 2016 and early 2017 with Russian figures — many of which he did not originally disclose on government forms — have been the subject of severe press scrutiny and congressional criticism.

Contact Aiden Pink at pink@forward.com or on Twitter, @aidenpink

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount