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Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin

Jared Kushner. NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images

Jared Kushner and Russia’s ambassador to Washington discussed the possibility of setting up a secret and secure communications channel between Donald Trump’s transition team and the Kremlin, using Russian diplomatic facilities in an apparent move to shield their pre-inauguration discussions from monitoring, according to US officials briefed on intelligence reports.

Ambassador Sergei Kislyak reported to his superiors in Moscow that Kushner, then President-elect Trump’s son-in-law and confidant, made the proposal during a meeting on Dec. 1 or 2 at Trump Tower, according to intercepts of Russian communications that were reviewed by US officials. Kislyak said Kushner suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States for the communications.

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The meeting also was attended by Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser.

The New York Times, quoting three unnamed sources, reported Friday that the idea behind the secret communications channel was for Russian military officials to brief Flynn about the Syrian war and other security issues.

The White House disclosed the fact of the meeting only in March, playing down its significance. But people familiar with the matter say the FBI now considers the encounter, as well as another meeting Kushner had with a Russian banker, to be of investigative interest.

Kislyak reportedly was taken aback by the suggestion of allowing an American to use Russian communications gear at its embassy or consulate — a proposal that would have carried security risks for Moscow as well as the Trump team.

Neither the meeting nor the communications of Americans involved were under US surveillance, officials said.

The White House declined to comment. Robert Kelner, a lawyer for Flynn, declined to comment. The Russian embassy did not respond to requests for comment.

Russia at times feeds false information into communication streams it suspects are monitored as a way of sowing misinformation and confusion among US analysts. But officials said that it’s unclear what Kislyak would have had to gain by falsely characterizing his contacts with Kushner to Moscow, particularly at a time when the Kremlin still saw the prospect of dramatically improved relations with Trump.

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Kushner’s apparent interest in establishing a secret channel with Moscow, rather than rely on US government systems, has added to the intrigue surrounding the Trump administration’s relationship with Russia.

To some officials, it also reflects a staggering naivete.

The FBI closely monitors the communications of Russian officials in the United States, and maintains near-constant surveillance of its diplomatic facilities. The National Security Agency monitors the communications of Russian officials overseas.

Current and former US intelligence officials said that though Russian diplomats have secure means of communicating with Moscow, Kushner’s apparent request for access to such channels was extraordinary.

‘‘How would he trust that the Russians wouldn’t leak it on their side?’’ said one former senior intelligence official. The FBI would know that a Trump transition official was going in and out of the embassy, which would cause ‘‘a great deal’’ of concern, he added. The entire idea, he said, ‘‘seems extremely naïve or absolutely crazy.’’

The discussion of a secret channel adds to a broader pattern of efforts by Trump’s closest advisors to obscure their contacts with Russian counterparts. Trump’s first national security adviser, Flynn, was forced to resign after a series of false statements about his conversations with Kislyak. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from matters related to the Russia investigation after it was revealed that he had failed to disclose his own meetings with Kislyak when asked during congressional testimony about any contact with Russians.

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Kushner’s interactions with Russians — including Kislyak and an executive for a Russian bank under US sanctions — were not acknowledged by the White House until they were exposed in media reports.

It is common for senior advisers of a newly elected president to be in contact with foreign leaders and officials. But new administrations are generally cautious in their handling of interactions with Moscow, which US intelligence agencies have accused of waging an unprecedented campaign to interfere in last year’s presidential race and help elect Trump.

Obama administration officials say members of the Trump transition team never approached them about arranging a secure communications channel with their Russian contacts.

Several agencies have the ability to set up secure communications channels with foreign leaders, but doing so for a transition team would be unusual.

In another development, the Times reported that Oleg V. Deripaska, a Russian oligarch once close former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, has offered to cooperate with congressional committees investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Lawmakers are unwilling to accept his conditions, however