Donald Trump and Jared Kushner. Image by Getty

By Ari Feldman May 9, 2019

A nonprofit watchdog group is suing Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner for not keeping records of their dealings with leaders of several countries, including Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Courthouse News reported.

The Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a federal complaint against Trump, Kushner and other senior administration aides. The complaint also alleges that the administration failed to properly classify certain State Department records. The group says that the actions violate the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act, and hamper the U.S.’s ability to “effectively conduct foreign policy.”

Among the allegations are that no notes exist from Trump’s five meetings with Putin, and that Kushner has communicated with the Saudi prince Mohamed bin Salman via WhatsApp, the encrypted messaging app, from which no official records have been preserved. The suit also states that Trump had a one-on-one meeting with Kim Jong-un during their recent summit meeting, where only two interpreters were present and no notes taken.

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“Similarly, White House advisor Ivanka Trump also reportedly conducts official White House business through a personal email account as did former deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland when communicating about the transfer of ‘sensitive U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia,’” a CREW attorney wrote.

The suit states that the use of encrypted messaging apps impeded Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

The Mueller report also quotes Trump as saying, “Lawyers don’t take notes. I never had a lawyer who took notes,” to White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn.

Ari Feldman is a staff writer at the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aefeldman

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