president's son-in-law proposed setting up a secret men's of communicating with the kremlin. >> white house has declined to comment. >> to me it sounds awful lot of colluding juan adversary. >> doesn't make sense to me. >> all you have to do is talk to anybody in the russian embassy. >> this is jared kushner going rogue. >> you have a pattern of senior trump officials concealing kfgs with russian spies. >> why are all these guys doing this. are they doing to it protect themselves or trump? >> i have a feeling jared will

do a great job. >> he'll do a great job. good saturday to you. breaking news this morning new reporting from "the washington post" that jared kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser proposed setting up a secret means of communicating with the kremlin. >> the request came from intercepts of conversations between russia's ambassador the united states and moscow. three people with knowledge of the discussion tell the "new york times" that the line was meant to be used to discuss strategy in syria and policy issues. >> reporter: intercepted russian communications discussed a proposal, by president trump's son-in-law to russian ambassador to the u.s. to create a secret communications channel between the trump transition and the

kremlin, the woesh po"the washi reported. the post reported kushner made a proposal to sergey kislyak during an early december meeting at trump tower. cnn previously reported the two men met as part of an effort to create a back channel to russian president vladimir putin. the white house did not comment on the report. these revelations of the russian interference probe includes look at kushner. the fbi is drilling down on kushner's multiple roles in the trump campaign and post-election transition. key among them the trump's campaign data analytics operation. >> i heard and it's been reported that matter of the

misinformation, disinformation campaign that was launched was launched in three key states, wisconsin, michigan and pennsylvania and launched interestingly enough not to enforce trump supporters to go out but to target clinton voters with misinformation. >> reporter: federal investigators are examining whether russian operatives used trump campaign associates wittingly or unwittingly to aid their own efforts to push information about hillary clinton online. >> jared will do a great job. >> reporter: as trump's top foreign policy aide kushner's contacts with russia are under contact. he was in contact with sergey kislyak and also met with the head of a russian bank that was under sanction. at first he failed to list those contacts when he applied for a security clearance but later corrected the forms. >> seems like another day, another name. hard to find who in this

administration is not being connected with suspicion ties to russia. it just points out how important this investigation is. >> reporter: officials tell cnn kushner is not currently the target of the investigation, but they believe he may be able to provide information that could be helpful to the fbi probe. now his lawyers says he has volunteered to share information with congress about his meetings with the russians and willing to talk with the fbi if asked. thank you. we go live to sicily. tough card you have to be stationed. looks beautiful. you're with the president on his overseas trip. help us understand if the white house is reacting to any of this news from "the washington post" and "new york times" this morning? >> reporter: well, so far the white house isn't commenting on this notion that jared kushner was trying to set up back channel communication, he'll communicate more directly with the russians. these are just a couple of

series of reports that came out. another one from reuters that noted there were previously undisclosed contacts between jared kushner and the russian ambassador. to that we got a entertainment from kushner's attorney who said mr. kushner participated in thousands of calls. he has no recollection of the calls described. they asked for dates. we have not received such information. so far photo really any push back, just really not much at all coming to explain or sort of defend why these contacts might have happened. if they did. why jared kushner might be setting up this back channel. this is all happening against the backdrop of the president being here in sicily. he's wrapping up his meeting at the g7 today. after that we'll hear from the president. he'll visit a naval airbase here and speaking to the troops. they expect this to be a high point of the trip, a way for a foreign crowd to give him a send off before he returns to the united states.

but, of course, we'll be looking for more information today about what exactly jared kushner's role was during the transition and now even in the white house and what kind of contact he may have had with russian officials. we are expecting a press briefing with senior administration officials. >> let's bring in cnn political analyst and princetn history professor and legal analyst joey jackson. good morning. julian, let me start with you that response from kushner's attorney he had thousands of calls. he doesn't remember any calls with the russian ambassador. is that plausible >> that's hard to believe. at this point we keep hearing those kinds of denials but this would be a major channel of communication if he, indeed, did twrie to establish it. i don't think many people democrats or republicans will find it very plausible that he just can't remember setting this up. it's not the best defense. >> joey, you're a defense attorney. you have been.

what's your take on it? >> there's always two sides to the law. many more sides than that. from a defense perspective let's back up. first we have to look and see if the accuracy and reliability -- is this russians spreading misinformation and our intelligence agencies were spying in on them. let's throw this out there to add further sort of issues as it relates to america. we disrupted their election. now let's just disrupt the whole electoral -- the whole electoral process. let's disrupt the presidency. we have to be cautious with regard to whether it's accurate. moving on from that assuming it is accurate, so what from a defense perspective. there's no law against proposals which may be misfwieded ee eee misguided. if it were a back channel communication perhaps it was not for a nefarious purpose. the defense would argue not at all. we have a terrible issue with

isis. we have the syrian conflict. there would be a reason to do that. moreover there certainly would be a reason to ingratiate with russia. also we don't trust obama or hillary clinton so another reason to do that. so there's a reason if he suggested a proposal however much we don't like it for it to happen having nothing to do with criminality or any type of purpose which is improper. >> julian, the reporting from the "new york times" is that -- i'm sorry reuters, was that the discussion was over fighting terrorism and improving u.s. russian economic relations. that would be the purposes of these conversations that we know that happened between flynn, kushner and the russian ambassador according to this new report. does this reach the point of discussing those economic

relation, i'm sure that's the question the fbi wants to know of easing sanctions and if there was a quid pro quo. >> in 1968 there were communications between the nixon team and russians to create a back channel. so part of these discussions could have been about syria and some kind of new strategy to develop that. the economic sanctions is trickier. this is a subject, not just a legal discussion but a political discussion. the question is, were trump officials working and communicating with the russians making promises, potentially, about easing the economic sanctions that are very troublesome to the russians, jared kushner met with the helped of a bank that was subject to the sanctions, and that, i think, would bring the discussions into a different realm, particularly at a time the russians were openly trying to sway the election so that president trump would become president trump. >> okay.

swroey, you broug swroey,. joey you brought up what's valid or not. dana bush said multiple u.s. officials tells cnn russia is trying to spread false information in the u.s. through elected officials and american intelligence and law enforcement operatives in order to cloud and confuse ongoing investigations. with that said, does that mean that every single thing that comes out is questioned? how is it that uyou valid it a information. >> we have to be mindful we have the best intelligence agencies in the world on the planet. we have an fbi that is just spectacular with regard to what they do. we have national security agencies and entities. you know, they are on it. they know what's happening. it's very important having said that that we vet the information so as to ensure that this is not just another russian attack. you know what?

we got those americans it's ridiculous. look what we're doing to their system. we got congress investigating the president. and the house. and the senate. we have the fbi investigating the president. and now let's take it one step further and let's throw everything else into disarray. i think it's very important with respect to our intelligence agencies and fbi that everything is vetted, everything is clear so that the information they are relying upon, particularly if you're talking about prosecuting people is reliable enough to take that extra step in the event that it's warranted, in the event we find this collusion, in the event there was something amiss with respect to the russians and the trump administration. >> if this is reliable information, julian, joey, thank you both. thank you very much. now more details are unfolding behind the fbi screw tiy of president trump's son-in-law jared kushner. how his specific meeting with a

russian banker could be a central part of this investigation. >> james comey acted on tensi e he knew was fake. we'll tell you why he says he did it. that's next. you hear these stories all the time. am i going to pass away like my mom did? and so you know this is something that's important. losing my mom to heart disease and then being diagnosed myself. it's like a war we're trying to fight against these diseases. resilience is in my dna. i won't die like my mom. it's a big challenge, but the challenge in it of itself is really what keeps me going. i could really make a difference in these people's lives. that would be my dream.

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or pre-existing cancers to worsen. do not use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs. most common side effects are vomiting and diarrhea. don't wait. ask your veterinarian about apoquel today. apoquel. it's itch relief worth barking about. bark we have new information that former fbi director james comey acted on russian intel that he knew was fake. while investigating hillary clinton's emails. >> cnn chief political correspondent dana bash walks us through the details. >> reporter: cnn has learned that then fbi director james comey knew that a critical piece of russian information related to the hillary clinton e-mail investigation was fake. but he felt he needed to take action anyway because he was concerned that if the

information became public it wou und under mine the investigation. these concerns were a major factor in comey to declare the clinton probe was over last summer without consulting then attorney general loretta lynch. you may remember earlier this week "the washington post" reported on this intelligence and doubts about its credibility. the fact that comey felt he had to act based on russian disinformation is a stark example of how russian interference impacted decision-making at the highest levels of the u.s. government during the 2016 campaign. the russian information at issue claimed to show that the attorney general lynch had been compromised in the clinton investigation because of emails between then dnc chair debbie wasserman-schultz and a political operative lynch saying the fbi probe would make the

probe go way. according to one government official comey told lawmakers he was afraid the information would, quote drop and undermine the investigation but comey didn't doubt the accuracy of that information even in a classified setting a few months ago. according to sources close to comey the fbi director felt the validity of the information didn't matter because if it became public they had no way to discredit it without burning sources and methods. think about the chain of events all of this help set off. when comey held his press conference in 2016 announcing no charges against clinton he also took an extraordinary and what many people say inappropriate step of calling her extremely careless. clinton aides are convinced her reputation was damaged with voters and she never recovered. now it probably wouldn't have happened without russian interference. talking to many officials on

capitol hill elsewhere elsewher dissemination of false information is still an ongoing issue. let's bring in cnn senior law enforcement officer. let's start with the broad question. former director acted on information that he knew was fake. your reaction. >> good morning, victor. i spent 30 years in the fbi conducting investigations, supervising, coordinating, managing investigations and if there was any truth at all to this story that the fbi decided to close an investigation based on information that the information knew to be false then director comey deserved to be fired if that was, in fact, true he should have been fired. >> beyond hastening the closure of the investigation according to dana's report, it prompted

that news conference, that infamous july 2016 news conference. did the russians accomplish what they set out to do by creating this document, according to the reporting? >> well, i don't know that any of this is true so whether the russians created it, you know, thinking that the fbi would be fooled and somehow would choose an action not to pursue a case based on it i have a hard time believing that. the fbi would have vetted the russians would expect the fbi to vet it. it's one thing to provide disinformation to the bureau and think you'll get away with it. separate to provide disinformation or information for that matter to the public because that's all you have to affect is the court of public opinion who will go to the polls a few months after this information is provided. >> you say he did this, if this is true, he acted on this and ended the investigation because he felt that this was going to be released it would under mine

the investigation and the confidence in the process he should have been fired. >> how does it under mine an investigation which he is closing. it makes no sense. >> so let me ask you this. according to dana's report field goal intel became public no way to discredit it without burning sources and methods. is that accurate from your experience? >> no. it's not accurate. because you don't have to provide the source and methods. he doesn't have to prove it. all he has to say publicly or privately in a closed session with congress is we vetted this. we believe it's not true. we're not going to tell you how we exactly know that just like all of this other information that's come out of the intel community, they don't tell how that came out. woe have the credibility of the director of the fbi saying we have vetted this, it's not true. an then go on. that would be the end of it. >> do you expect or should the

former director should have discussed this during the classified meetings had with members of congress. if this didn't come up as a major topic of discussion. >> well, i have to believe that, you know, any of this would have leaked out right away. if this was going on or this was the basis foreclosing the investigation. i just don't think it was. i'm not saying the reporting is not accurate, i'm assuming cnn reporters were told this by, you know, their sources. i just think the sources are wrong. >> all right. we, of course, will hear more of this when the former director is on capitol hill, in that testimony that we know is coming. thank you so much. >> you're welcome. there's a new report connecting jared kushner to the russian investigation. we are live in moscow for you with some details on that. and as to whether this leak could have been intentional. first, though -- in this week's "staying

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welcome back. we're so grateful to have you with us. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. brand new thread in the russian investigation. this from "the washington post" that president trump's son-in-law jared kushner proposed a secret communication channel with the kremlin at a meeting last december and this morning the "new york times"

says it was to discuss strategy in syria and policy issues. that meeting was attend by former national security adviser michael flynn, and russian ambassador sergey kislyak. listen to what "the washington post" reporter who broke the story told cnn. >> kislyak has a good reputation in terms of the accuracy of his reporting. according to the officials i've talked with. u.s. officials who are raerding that reporting and feel like kislyak is accurately important training the messages being discussed by both sides. that said absolutely sophisticated intelligence, adversaries to the united states routinely put false information into their communications. sometimes they do so in order to see if the americans are in that channel. so, in other words, if a piece of -- the israelis do this all the time to the, do it often to the americans to try to see if americans are spying on a

particular channel. russians do the same thing. you can't rule out when it comes to intelligence which this is that people exaggerate. fbi investigation into president trump's russian ties has been inches closer to the white house however at this point kushner we need to point out is not a target of this probe and there are no allegations that he committed any wrongdoing. just moments ago russian dismissed media reports of kushner's contacts with kislyak. >> cnn's claire sebastian is joining us. what's the reaction, if any from the kremlin? >> reporter: well, from the kremlin we've had no response as yet, but we've heard from the russian foreign minister. i reached out to the spokeswoman for the foreign ministry for her response. she called it quote, mccarthyism or internal political squabble. i followed it up if she would

confirm that moscow was aware that kushner had made that reque request since this was an intercept of communication between kislyak and his superiors. she said she already answered my question, but said if we wanted to know more about kushner's political or business connections it would be worth looking to the middle east. we assume she's referring to a recent deal for saudi arabia to invest $20 billion in u.s. infrastructure, funneling that through the blackstone group an investment firm that has had ties to kushner's companies, which kushner ran before moving to the white house. this is very much in keeping over what we've heard from the kremlin painting this as, you know, internal chaos in washington, having nothing to do with them. pointing out using that word mccarthyism that russia is being used by trump's opponents to hurt his administration and deflect attention away from

russia. we have no official denial that this took place. really not commenting. >> reporting is very new just hours old. we'll stand by for a response from the kremlin. claire, thanks so much. kushner is not a target of the fbi investigation but this is another distraction as the president meets with world leaders at the g7 summit in italy. moments ago -- here are the pictures, president trump standing front and center. they are meeting for a working lunch in just about a half hour. cnn white house reporter gentlemen jeremy diamond is live there. what are the headlines? >> reporter: well, you know, so far we have heard from the president a little bit this morning, tweeting about nato countries and reupping their payments. the president so far has not commented on this latest series of allegations involving jared kushner. the white house declining to

comment on those allegations but even before the dust settled on those, that report from "the washington post" alleging kushner had perhaps set up or tried to set up a secret chant of communication with russian officials, reuters saying kushner had multiple previously undisclosed contacts with russian officials. his attorney sent this statement to cnn and i'll read it for you. mr. kushner participated in thousands of calls in this time period. he has no recollection of the calls. we asked for dates of such alleged calls so we may look into it and respond but we have not received such information. of course, the allegations about kushner are just the latest in a series of allegations we've heard in the last two weeks concerning this investigation into potential contacts between trump campaign associates and russian officials. those allegations, of course, the president was hoping to escape as he departed for his

first foreign trip but they have continued to dog him throughout this entire week and particularly here in europe those concerns about russia, coupled with the allegations that have surfaced in the last week or two have amplified all of that situation in nato, speaking in nato the other day in brussels the president failing to once again reassure those nato allies about his position on russia, about his willingness to confront russian president vladimir putin here at the g7 as well those russian concerns are very real, of course, and many of these g7 leaders are looking for further reassurance from the president he's willing to confront russian aggression in the region particularly here in europe where russia is at the door step. we have to wait and see if the president can provide those assurance. we have not heard from himself. >> we'll hear from him in just a few hours as he steps in front of the mike there.

any idea what he'll say? >> reporter: he is expected to give a speech this afternoon here at an airbase on the sicilyian airbase. he has not taken any questions in any kind of press conference setting instead focusing on his foreign trip. he heads back to washington tonight. >> jeremy diamond, thank you for the update. we'll dig more into this breaking news. fbi's russia probe bringing in new controversy to the white house. jared kushner's relationship with two russian officials pulling him into the investigation. the implication for the president. more on that. we see wonder waiting. every step you take, narrows the influence of narrow minds. bridges continents and brings this world one step closer.

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the president's son-in-law senior adviser jared kushner under scrutiny over undisclosed meetings he had with two russian officials back in december. also at the center of the controversy a meeting with a russian banker who represented a bank under u.s. sanctions. >> although he's not a direct target of the fbi investigation he's another white house staffer now caught up in the political turmoil in washington. >> reporter: this is the man jared kushner met with in december 2016. just a month after kushner's father-in-law, donald trump was elected president. his name is sergei gorgov, a russian banker. here's how the white house explained the nature of kushner's meeting with the

banker. >> jared did a job during the transition in the campaign where avenues conduit to leaders. he wants to make sure he's very year about the role he played, who he talked to, and that's it. >> reporter: that may be true, but it doesn't square with what the bank itself has said about the meeting. in a statement the bank said its executives met with kushner not as a representative of the white house but as head of kushner companies. the bank says its leaders met with numerous global financial executives as it developed a new strategy for the bank. it >> it's interesting it contradicts what jared kushner said when he said he was acting as a liaison between the campaign and foreign governments. so i'm sure that that will be an issue that we'll try to clarify. >> reporter: what exactly was discussed between kushner and the banker remains a mystery.

though jared kushner has offered to answer the senate intelligence committee's questions about not only this meeting but another meeting he had with russian ambassador sergey kislyak that same month. it was kislyak who had suggested kushner meet with the russian banker. the fact that kushner didn't mention either of these meetings on his white house clearance forms may be a topic but he did rectify that. there's concern the russian bank has been under u.s. sanctions since july 2014. when kushner met with gorgov he was still ceo of kushner companies and the question remains was he looking for financing for a pricey manhattan project. the meeting itself didn't violate u.s. sanctions but investigators wants to know what was said. >> i have a feeling it related to financial issues. to his credit he's willing to testify on that issue and i hope that the committee really

thoroughly looks at what the reasons were why he engaged in that conversation. >> reporter: seems that jared kushner, who rarely speaks beyond a whisper in the president's ear, may soon be called on to do a whole lot of talking. randi kaye, yn, new york. >> new reports and allegations surfacing daily with three major headlines breaking in the last 16 hours. that's not stopping republicans on capitol hill from advancing the president's agenda. we'll discuss how the back the blue bill fits into the president's vision of law and order.

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. 47 minutes past the hour. with all the turmoil swirling around the white house there's questions what president trump and his party can achieve their policy goals. republicans in the house and senate are moving forward. they introduced a back the blue act of 2017. key part of the president's law and order agenda. the bill would create new federal crimes for killing or attempting to kill officers or judges. a specific aggravating factor for the federal death prosecutions and new federal

crime for assaulting law enforcement officers. it's backed by groups such as the fraternal order of police. however, this is opposition to this. specifically from human rights watch which says this bill would shield police from any sort of accountability. let's talk about it with cnn contributor national reporter. thank you for being here. also the author of "they can't kill us." so i understand that you believe this bill could create more problems than it solves. what are your specific issues with it? >> sure, potentially could. there's been a lot in the days since this legislation has been introduced, a lot of concern from civil rights attorneys specifically from folks who work on police abuse and police misconduct cases. in addition to creating additional laws or additional penlts for assaulting or killing an officer the second part of this legislation is really important. what it does it makes it more

difficult for someone who believes they've been abused by police to sue the police. we see very often in cases whether it be the eric gardner case, the freddie gray case, what we see there are very rarely criminal charges for officers involved in these cases but much more likely is that the city or police agree to a civil settlement. there's a pay out of millions of dollars to the family where they agree this death should not have happened even if it was not a crime. what this legislation would do, it would remove some of the liability from officers if those officers could prove that the reason a person was killed or part of the reason a person was killed is because they themselves were in the commission of a crime. so if you were, for example, someone -- a drug dealer and you are killed as part of a drug raid, even if the police continue to follow the right policies, even if they perhaps are abusive or there's misconduct involved, if they can prove that part of the reason you were killed is because you were committing a felony, then

the police no longer have a civil liability. that's been part of the concern from advocates. >> what is the possibility that this will pass, that this will become law? >> the reality is supporting law enforcement or attempting to posture as an administration that supports law enforcement has and about priority of the trump administration. republicans control the senate and the house. this is something they want to prioritize. they control which legislation comes in front of these two chambers and politically something like this is probably something that will be popular. this is something that, again, donald trump and jeff sessions the attorney general have priority swriezed from the very beginning. one of his first executive orders, president trump instructed jeff sessions to look into potential legislation and this is something that police groups, fraternal order of police and others have asked for similar legislation for a long time. they wanted targeting police officers a hate crime. this idea attacking an officer

or police officer should be considered something different or something special. now, again, that's something a lot of civil rights groups push back on or disagree with. this is something police groups have asked for a long time. i imagine if this comes up for a vote it will likely pass. >> thank you so much. we appreciate it. let's turn to the track. there's more to this weekend's indy 500. we have an up close look at the greatest spectacle in racing. boost. it's about moving forward, not back. it's looking up, not down. it's being in motion.

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vice president mike pence is expected to return to his home state for tomorrow's indianapolis 500. >> we have a preview in this

morning's bleacher report. >> reporter: good morning. vice president mike pence a huge motor sport fan. he rode in the parade last year. he's attend this race more than 30 times. he'll attend with his wife who has been to more races than her husband. one of the exciting story lines, two-time formula one championship fernando alonso has made the trip. when he made the practice run there were 2 million viewers. he's never driven an indycar. already has made himself familiar with one of the great traditions here at the indy 500 like the winner drinking milk. listen. >> do you like milk? >> i like milk. this will be perfect moment to

love drinking milk. >> reporter: now, guys, this was my first indy 500. i really wanted to get a feel for what these teams go through. i joined the number 15 steak and shake honda pit crew. these guys schooled me. i have a new found respect for what they do, the precision to detail. one millisecond mistake to affect the outcome. i realize that i have a long way to go, a little force this morning is because i later went and raced with a racing legend mario andretti. took me around this track at 200 miles per hour. we'll show that to you tomorrow. >> how long does it take you to change one of those tires? >> reporter: it took me 42, 43 seconds. they do it in about four or five. you can see just how skilled

these guys are. >> four or five compared to 42? i'd still let you change one of my tires on my car if i had a flat. >> let me ask you about something serious. security i understand is being beefed up. how? >> reporter: part of a good plan is not sharing specific details or too many to educate the very element that seeks to do harm. indianapolis motor way will have more than a thousand law enforcement personnel and security forces. they found a unique way to remind fans see something see something. they had drivers pre-record psas and playing them on video boards here at the track. they have a good plan in place with the cooperation of attendees they feel the 101st running will be a huge success.

>> it's a good thing you're an athlete because i don't think people understand how athletic it is to have to drive that car for that long. this is a three hour race. >> reporter: you know, i went in there two times around the track. my nausea, my adrenaline was off the charts. my head hurt a little bit. these guys go three hours. no bathroom breaks, no food. it's phenomenal. >> enjoy the run up to the race. we'll check in later today. >> nice job, buddy. and with that, we want to start our next hour here. good morning to you. we're so grateful for your company. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. breaking news this morning. new reporting in "the washington post" that jared kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser set up a secret means of communication with the kremlin. >> came from intercepted conversations from the ambassador of russia and the united states. three people told the "new york

times" this morning that the line was meant to be used to discuss strategy in syria and policy issues. >> of course, all this comes as president trump's overseas trip draws to a close. he spent this morning attendsing a g7 round table. in a few hours the president is will speak to u.s. troops at an airbase in sicily before heading back to washington. the ongoing investigation hanging over the white house. investigations plural, and here's more on the latest reports. >> reporter: intercepted russian communications discussed a proposal by president trump's son-in-law jared kushner to russia's ambassador to the u.s. to create a secret communications channel between the trump transition and the kremlin, "the washington post" reported citing u.s. officials briefed on intelligence reports. the post reported kushner made the proposal to russian ambassador sergey kislyak during an early december meeting at trump tower to use russian diplomatic facilities to