Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former White House adviser, may testify before the 6 January insurrection committee in Congress.
The testimony is expected to be voluntary and delivered remotely, according to unnamed sources familiar with the matter who spoke to ABC News.
Mr Kushner was returning from a diplomatic trip in the Persian Gulf at the time of the riot at the US Capitol, and did not publicly comment on what happened at the time, unlike his wife Ivanka Trump, the former president’s daughter, who urged MAGA supporters to cease the violence.
“American Patriots – any security breach or disrespect to our law enforcement is unacceptable. The violence must stop immediately. Please be peaceful,” she said in a tweet at the time that has since been deleted.
When Mr Kushner arrived in the US, he avoided the White House.
He stayed away because he thought, "We’ll just get in a fight if I go over there,” according to ABC reporter Jonathan Karl’s book about the Trump White House, Betrayal. Mr Kushner was also reportedly warned by Secret Service agents it would be “dangerous” for him to be back in the West Wing amid the insurrection.
The Independent has reached out to Mr Kushner for comment.
The former West Wing aide’s name resurfaced in recent todays, after it was mentioned in text messages from Ginni Thomas, the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who is under scrutiny for numerous texts she set to former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows.
In the messages, Ms Thomas mentions she spoke with Mr Kushner about Sidney Powell, a Trump campaign lawyer who spread numerous false claims and conspiracies about the 2020 election.
Since leaving office, Mr Kushner and Ms Trump have relocated to Miami, where the former has raised billions for a new international investment venture.
The potential testimony from Mr Kushner is the latest pressure point for Mr Trump, after a federal judge found on Monday that the former president “more likely than not” committed felony obstruction in his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and must turn over documents he is withholding from the congressional select committee investigating 6 January.
“Together, these actions more likely than not constitute attempts to obstruct an official proceeding”, the judge wrote, adding “The illegality of the plan was obvious. Our nation was founded on the peaceful transition of power, epitomised by George Washington laying down his sword to make way for democratic elections”.
