Sununu: Kushner Statement Shows Contacts a 'Pain in the Neck'

Jared Kushner's 11-page statement that was delivered to senators "make it very clear" that the contacts he had before the Nov. 8 election "were a pain in the neck," former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu said Monday.

"They were an intrusion into what was a hectic campaign schedule," Sununu told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" program."Even that celebrated meeting with the Russian lawyer, to borrow Mrs. Clinton's phrase, was a nothing burger, and he could not wait to get out. He wanted to get out with a tweet, with a phone call to get me out of here."

Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and one of his closest advisers, spoke behind closed doors to members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sununu said he imagines there will be "tons of leaking" from the session.

Show host Bill Hemmer pointed out that Kushner would likely say he did not talk about the Trump campaign during the meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya, and that there was no follow-up with anyone involved.

Democrats will not be satisfied with that, however, said Sununu, as "they have a two-pronged agenda that they want to use leading into 2018."

That includes a strategy to "keep creating doubt" on issues such as Russia and the election, and on any GOP legislation coming out of Washington, said the former governor.

"With those two things, they think they can recover in '18," he commented.

Earlier, on Fox News, former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, now a network contributor, said they need to "get a backbone" and to bring up the Clintons when Kushner or Trump Jr. are mentioned, and Sununu said he thinks Chaffetz was correct.

"What happened in this process, happened to both campaigns," said Sununu. "What happened to both campaigns is not what you saw in the emails that came out, including those emails confirming that key members of the Clinton campaign were actually hired directly and indirectly by the Russians. I think Jason is right. If this thing goes on too much further, the Republicans should get a backbone and start calling out the Clinton's and the Clinton campaign people."

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